Delicate Steps of an Ice Dance
by LethanWolf
Summary: As Rukia left she heard the Alpha muttering something soothing to the girl and was pleased she'd given them a private moment. Her heart clenched in her chest and she ground her teeth against the emotions welling in her chest. It was reminding her of everything they'd lost in this war… {HitsuRuki, Omegaverse, Post Canon Fic}
1. The Omega

**This piece was created for the #BringBackBleachBang where a group of writers and artists got together to create works, we had so much fun making fanfictions of Bleach and artwork over the course of around 6 months or so. We may be doing more in future, and as well as writers, artists and proofreaders we also take on board cheerleaders whose job it is, is to encourage everyone to keep going haha. If you'd like to join us for a future Bang, drop me a review and I'll be in touch. **

**P.s There is an art piece to accompany this word, but FFNet doesn't allow me to put it in the fic, so if you want to see it please google 'Toshiro x Rukia by Ammsterdamn on Deviantart'**

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The summoning had come so much quicker than she'd been expecting. They knew it would happen of course, she'd already discussed with Onii-sama and he was firm in his standings. This meeting would be shut down incredibly quickly and she was anxious, she'd rather be fighting down a room full of Quincies. She was better prepared to handle that kind of a battle than this kind of discussion. She shuffled as they waited in the room. Byakuya standing in front of her and to her left, his eyes closed and his face stoic. She'd not even been part of the conversation, it had been one of those usual; you're present but I don't really want you to be heard, kind of discussions.

Rukia wasn't treated so lowly because she was a woman, quite the opposite, the way she was regarded was with utmost care. She was treated delicately, protected and doted upon by the Kutchiki house, for the same reason that the request of this meeting was to be denied; she was an Omega.

The only Omega, in fact, in the whole of the Seireitei.

'Rukia,' her brothers cool voice lashed like a whip across the room and she stilled in her shuffling, wincing. Her anxious movements had been picked up and he was now watching her from the corner of his eyes.

'Sorry Onii-sama,' she apologised with a low bow. He said nothing back to her but continued to watch her for a few moments before he turned away, his eyes closing over once again.

An Omega was incredibly rare, they were the only kind of soul who was able to bare children. Every single soul had two genders, a Primary gender which was either male or female and a Secondary gender which was one of three; Alpha, Beta or Omega.

Most were Beta, in fact it made up well over 97% of the Seireitei population. Beta's were unable to reproduce, they carried very light, often calming scents and very rarely acted out aggressively or passively based on their gender. Within the spectrum of Beta's there were higher and lower Beta's. When the chromosomes aligned during birth, a higher Beta would carry one Beta gene (a dominate gene) and an Alpha gene (a recessive gene). A lower Beta would carry an Omega gene (a recessive gene) and a Beta gene (dominant). What this meant was the Beta gene would mask over either the Alpha or Omega gene that a soul would carry and would make them present overall as a Beta.

Standard and most common Beta's had two Beta genes. In order for someone to present as an Alpha they must have two Alpha genes (caused by mutations) and for someone to present as an Omega they must carry two Omega genes. There was a lot more to it than just this of course as it was rare a soul was even born in the Seireitei, so often when a soul transferred from the world of the living the soul would be blessed with genes that best matched the strengths of the lives they lead before.

She'd been taught all this at the academy… in most instances of Alpha's they carried one Alpha and one Omega gene. They'd present overall as an Alpha as this gene was still far more dominant than an Omega gene, which was why Omegas were so very rare.

They were to be protected, cherished even.

Especially by a noble house who needed an heir to survive.

When Captain Ukitake had come to the Kuchiki house and asked for Rukia to be promoted to Lieutenant it had caused uproar.

She'd wanted the job of course she had. She had the power and skill for it but the noblemen didn't want her anywhere close to battle, to the front lines. Especially after what had happened when she'd gone to Earth and nearly been killed as a by-product of Aizen's plan.

No one outside the noble Kuchiki clan knew what her dynamic was, if Aizen had known. It would be likely the Alpha would have taken her as a wife and someone to carry his offspring to further immortalize his power. The thought caused a cold feeling to creep down her spine.

Thankfully nothing like that had happened because only a handful of people outside their clan knew of her dynamic. Something they had to sort out very quickly in the wake of the Thousand Year Blood war.

'Captain Kuchiki, Lieutenant Kuchiki,' the friendly and surprisingly authoritative tone of the newly appointed Head Captain greeted them.

Captain Kyoraku swept into the room, his pink floral kimono situated over the haori clearly marking his power, it eased the tightening of emotion in Rukia's stomach. She gazed up at him, his Lieutenant dutifully by his side looking morbid in a way that was very familiar to her character.

'I assume you know why we are here today?' his voice took on a slightly more cheerful tone as he addressed them and Rukia bit her lip to stop herself wincing. She badly wanted to bounce her leg or fidget or do something not in line with the noble Kuchiki house as a way of expelling her anxious energy.

'I have made my assessments yes,' Byakuya started, lifting his gaze and meeting the sparkling eyes of the Head Captain who now sat on the edge of the desk in front of them. The sun was rising over a derelict setting, casting a ghostly light across the destruction caused by the battles, including large chunks of missing marble from the pillars holding up the ancient ceiling of the Head Captains office.

'And your thoughts?' Head Captain Kyoraku asked, with an offhand tone, like he was already prepared for their answer.

'We decline,' Byakuya stated without offering anything further.

There was a beats silence and Captain Kyoraku reached up to touch his straw hat, letting out a deep sigh like he'd been expecting the answer but was still disappointed all the same.

'I had thought you would,' he replied, confirming Rukia's thoughts, 'I remember Ukitake telling me when he'd tried to promote Rukia to the Lieutenant position and how difficult a time he'd had even getting her there.'

'Yes,' Byakuya said, not at all impressed by the sentiment of their dead comrade, 'well that is why we decline this request. She will not serve as Captain.'

Rukia's nose twitched. Omegas were extremely sensitive to scents, more than any of the other dynamics. Some Betas couldn't smell scents at all unless it was potent enough, but an Omega could smell everyone and even spot the Secondary gender of another person just based on their scent alone. Her brother's strong Alpha scent wasn't aiding the feeling of unease in her stomach. It was a scent she'd often associate with being in trouble or his overwhelming disappointment in her and she hated it.

'May I ask why?' the Beta Head Captain asked.

'She doesn't feel ready,' Byakuya answered for her and Rukia tried her best to hide her scowl as the Head Captains gaze swept her face at the statement. She was more than ready, yes her bankai could do with some work because she'd only just achieved it, but she was more than capable of running a division on her own.

'Is that right?' Captain Kyoraku asked, his voice almost amused like he knew Rukia was in disagreement with him. 'She has achieved bankai though yes? A few have now reported seeing her bankai.'

'Yes,' Byakuya stated, 'she has achieved bankai,' he continued, his tone almost a little annoyed at the continued questioning after the denial of the request. It had been simply that; a request? Even though both Rukia and Byakuya knew that it was much more than that. A request from a Head Captain was as good as an order from the Head Captain.

'So why do you not feel ready?' Captain Kyoraku asked her, she opened her mouth to speak but her brother spoke over her quickly putting her back in her place.

'A Captaincy role is a lot of responsibility she has not yet had the time to learn to cope with.' He replied simply and Captain Kyoraku looked almost a little annoyed at him. It was a strange look to see from the otherwise usually benevolent Captain.

'When I ask Rukia a question,' he said, his tone reminding Byakuya of his place, 'I expect her to answer me, not you Captain Kuchiki.'

'Yes,' her brother responded, his tone anything but pleased. 'Forgive me.'

Captain Kyoraku turned his attention on Rukia instead and scrutinised her with his gaze. She hated this, because she was completely torn between her duties to the Kuchiki clan and her duties as a Lieutenant and member of the thirteen court guard squad. She shuffled a little before letting out a deep sigh.

'It is as Onii-sama said,' she admitted finally, 'nothing more.'

The fewer the people who knew about her Omega status the safer she was from any kind of harm. If anyone found out about her Secondary gender then she'd be a target for so many worse crimes than simply being impaled by a Zanpakuto.

'I see,' his eyes narrowed in her direction and she quickly looked away from his gaze. She was lying and he knew it, he could sense it despite only being a Beta. Rukia's nostrils were flaring with the annoyed scent of her brother. Alpha's rarely had to learn how to control themselves the way an Omega would, they could let their scents leak about all over the place without any real repercussions.

Alpha's were the most dominant of the Secondary genders and most often ended up in Captaincy roles, of the three she knew this to be the case.

'Ukitake,' Captain Kyoraku continued, 'had suggested that this conversation would be difficult. That in order to do this I'd need to get Rukia alone and have a discussion with her one on one, privately. You don't have any idea what he meant by that did you?' The question was now aimed at Byakuya. Rukia knew what he meant, of the few people to know her Secondary gender, her Captain Ukitake was one of them. Hearing his name and knowing she'd never get to see him again was like a powerful blow through her chest. Omega's were often believed to be sentimental and soft, the very features that being a Soul Reaper denied, which was probably why so few existed and flourished within the Seireitei. Alongside Captain Ukitake, Head Captain Yamamoto had known of her Secondary gender, it was why she'd never been promoted further than a Lieutenant because just like her brother the ex Head captain believed that an Omega's place was as far away from the battlefield as possible.

Captain Unohana also knew, she was responsible for the constant supply of drugs that she'd created to delay the Omega cycles and stop Rukia baring children before her time. With so many already dead and gone, there was almost no one else who knew about her gender and after a conversation with her brother they believed that to be best.

It seemed they wouldn't get away from this meeting without the Head Captain finding out though, he was already pushing and prodding, he knew that there was more to this conversation than the current details.

'Just tell him,' Rukia finally admitted and she could smell the annoyance on her brother darken, she'd stepped outside her place. She tried to fight against the pang of hurt that was so typically Omega inside her. She'd done something to annoy someone else and that wasn't normally the kind of thing an Omega would do.

'Rukia,' Byakuya's voice wavered in warning.

'Tell me what?' Head Captain Kyoraku asked, folding his arms and gazing between the two of them. Byakuya was now turned toward Rukia, his steely grey-blue gaze baring into her. Rukia resisted the urge to cower at his glare but instead she folded her arms and nodded her head.

'He will have to find out at some point,' she said clearly, 'given the position he's in now. It will help him to understand.'

She was bravely speaking out of turn, but the words needed to be said. They had a whole day ahead of them and she wanted nothing more than to return home and prepare herself for a day of counting more of her dead colleagues.

Silence passed across the office for a moment before Captain Kyoraku turned to his lieutenant and dismissed her, understanding that whatever information he was about to be given was incredibly private and confidential.

From inside Byakuya's robes he produced documents and Rukia groaned internally. He'd done this to Ukitake and Unohana and he'd tried to do it to Ichigo as well but the strawberry blond had outright refused.

'What's this?' Captain Kyoraku asked as he eyed the documents being brought over to his desk.

'It's a Non-Disclosure Agreement,' Byakuya stated simply and the Head Captain raised his eye brows.

'Once you sign it, we will tell you why Rukia cannot become a Captain,' Byakuya continued and Rukia tried not to chime in with any further information such as; "and it isn't because I'm not ready."

Even though she really wanted to add that part, she decided it was enough to have said it in her head.

'Alright,' he said his voice highly interested, 'you've intrigued me,' without even reading the documents he turned to final page and signed it with the ink brush on his desk. Rukai bit back a smile at the older man and how much he reminded her of her own Captain… so very trusting of those around him.

'Tell me,' he turned towards them, his eyes flicking between the pair of them like a curious child.

'Rukia,' Byakuya said her name softly this time, it wasn't spoken as a reprimand as it so often was. He'd always allowed her to be the one to tell people, believing it was never his place or his information to give which of course Rukia respected him for.

She turned her gaze up to the Head Captain and he studied her intensely, before she sighed.

'I'm an Omega.'

There was a beats silence that passed over the three of them. Captain Kyoraku looking dumbstruck for a few moments before he finally found his voice.

'You're an-'

'Omega, yes,' Rukia confirmed, she'd been expecting the whole; "I don't think I quite heard you right" moment.

'Ah,' he sighed deeply and a look of consideration crossed his face for a moment, 'I understand.'

'Now you must understand why we don't wish to put Rukia in anymore danger than she's _already_ been in.' Byakuya said. It was the very reason why Rukia had thought it a good idea to inform the Head Captain of her Secondary gender. If she kept refusing to go out on particular missions he'd maybe start to think she was lazy or avoiding work, but she was just trying to stick to her over protective big brothers side.

'Yes I understand,' Captain Kyoraku's gaze swept over her and he smiled, 'I'll admit, I had no idea. You hide it very well. I never even once suspected.'

'Thank you,' she jerked her head at the strange compliment and her brother interjected.

'Yes we work hard, as you can imagine the kind of danger she may find herself in should this news get out,' Byakuya stated the warning and a dark look crossed over the Head Captains face.

'Yes of course,' he nodded to the door, 'you're both free to go, your secret is safe with me.'

A look of some kind crossed his face again, one of dawning recognition but it was so fleeting that Rukia didn't get a chance to try and digest it before her brother was sweeping passed her in the direction of the exit. Rukia followed dutifully behind him and the two made their way quickly back to the Kuchiki manor. They were silent the entire journey home which was fine with Rukia. She loved her brother dearly but sometimes she wished that he'd loosen the collar ever so slightly.

The moment they arrived back on Kuchiki land her brother was swept up in the meeting with the elders while the servants took care of Rukia. It was hard to catch a break when everyone else had their own expectations of how you should live your life and how you should be treated. It wasn't that she was unthankful to be fed and bathed by servants but sometimes she'd rather just do things on her own. That time would come the moment work hours would properly start and she could make her way back to her own division and her own living quarters.

Once the sun hung a little higher in the sky, the soldiers began to wake and one by one they emerged from the Squad Six barracks. Her brother had gone in to command them and Rukia was free to return to her own division. The journey wasn't that long when she was allowed to flash step and with the state of the Seireitei no one was going to chide her for it. The damage suffered during the war still hung heavy all around, some divisions a lot worse off than others. Huge buildings that had once towered over the entire thirteen court guard squad, now lay in rubble and ruins while teams of soldiers set about trying to clean and repair the area while counting their dead.

War was an ugly affair and one that the soul society found itself in the middle of far too often. She paused on the roof of one badly affected building, the light coruscating from the broken tiles of the slanted roof. She dropped to her knees and gently run her fingers over a darkened colour that had caught her eye. She rubbed her fingers together, the blackened substance disintegrating slowly, like ash as she did so. Her eyes slid to the left and she stood up.

'Over here,' she called out, three nearby soldiers leapt into action, coming to her in an instant.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki?' one of them called out in question.

'Here, there's another body trapped by the rubble,' she gracefully leapt to the ground and began pulling back blocks. There was a high noise, a feminine moan of pain and the soldiers and Rukia worked quicker.

Together they all pulled bricks and stone away from the scene and Rukia was struck with just one more ghastly image that would likely haunt her until her final days as a soul. A young girl, with the physical appearance of mid-teens had a face as white as snow, only the slight tremor of her lower lip was enough to tell Rukia that the girl was still alive.

'Call in the relief squad immediately,' a commanding voice spoke. Rukia felt a shiver down her spine, a reaction she only ever got around Alphas. She turned her head and spotted him.

His white hair billowed slightly in the breeze, his intense teal eyes focused on the young member of his squad and his hands dirty with her blood from having pulled away a scrap of metal which had sliced through her uniform. Rukia took a quick step back in his presence, he was the Captain of this division and this was one of his fallen soldiers.

'Yes sir,' one of the lower ranked men called before running off. Captain Hitsugaya's scent was like being fisted harshly by winter jasmine, peppermint oil and cedar all in one go. She took another larger step back away from the Alpha.

Yes. Not many people knew of the Captains Secondary gender, but as an Omega Rukia could smell everyone… it was another reason why she knew she was truly alone in her Omega dynamic. Captain Hitsugaya didn't parade his Alpha status around, though his short temper and cold and frosty demeanour had a few people rightly speculating at his Secondary gender.

The only other Alpha's that Rukia knew of were her brother and Kenpatchi, both of whom made it very clear of their dynamics because they believed it would make them more respected and feared. Not that her brother had ever vocalised this to her, but she could tell from the very slight and subtle way it would end up in conversation and whom it would end up in conversation to.

Hitsugaya was different, he wasn't driven by power the way most Alphas were, something she'd come to realise while they'd been stationed in the world of the living together. It had Rukia wondering though; what did drive him? Everyone did what they did for something, everyone had a motivator… hers was to help continue the Kuchiki line and do Captain Ukitake and her brother proud in every decision she made.

'Thank you,' his voice was so sincere that it caught her off guard for a moment. She jerked her head back, coming quickly out of her stupor as she met those intense teal irises. 'Thank you for finding her,' he said as he gazed down at the young soldier in his arms. He'd managed to clear away the worst of the rubble, but looking at her wounds… it didn't look good. Rukia's hand tightened around the blade of her zanpakuto, she wished she knew healing kido.

'You're welcome,' her voice was barely above a whisper as she stared down at the ghostly figure, clearly dying in her Captains arms. 'I am glad I was able to help Captain.'

She didn't want to intrude more than she already had, there was a strong chance this girl wasn't going to make it and she didn't want to ruin her final moments by being an awkward presence in her company. She gathered her strength and turned to quickly leave the scene.

As she left she heard the Alpha muttering something soothing to the girl and was pleased she'd given them a private moment. Her heart clenched in her chest and she ground her teeth against the emotions welling in her chest. It was reminding her of everything they'd lost in this war… she wasn't looking forward to running a division on her own without her Captain. Ukitake who had been such a wonderful presence and a parental figure to her over the many years she'd worked alongside him.

She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, not because she was physically exhausted but because she was emotionally exhausted. She could feel the welling of emotion and she fought it back, debating for a moment on returning back to the Sixth Division. Emotions this strong usually meant she was close to a heat cycle, which she knew but she still had around two weeks left. Turning back now would show nothing but weakness and her brother would not let her leave again until her heat was over.

The clan had decided she wasn't allowed to have a heat outside of the noble house until the Seireitei was back on more stable footing. Right now with so much destruction it wasn't safe for her to have her heat away from the heavily guarded house. She'd reluctantly agreed, but hated it. She hated being away from her own private space and her own personal nest.

A nest was something every Omega did by nature… it was basically just filling your bed with squishy things and scents that comforted you… scents of family and friends mostly. Her nest in her own living quarters had a few Ukitake items in it that she desperately wanted to go and curl up with to properly expel her grief in a way that was healthy for her dynamic.

She didn't know how much she needed that cry until she was crossing the threshold of the office she'd shared with her Captain and wanted to scream at the empty space.

Rukia stood in the middle of the room, the sight of the dust from the rubble floating thick in the air and the faded scent of him was encased in the small space. She could smell him so easily, like his scent had been preserved into the ancient old oak desk. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and walked up towards it, her fingers tracing the edge gently and her eyes glossing over the stack of reports that had been left in a tray for her to complete upon her return. There were some old papers stacked there too, paperwork that had been setting before the war. She bent down and picked a piece up that had blown onto the floor, the desk half obscuring it and there was a perfect triangle of dust free space as she lifted it up. The report was from the SWA, calling on action for equal pay across the divisions. Rukia smiled down at it, a shadow of a simpler time and, some would argue, a less pressing issue. She put the paper down on the side of the desk, beside a small pile covered in dusty rubble.

Sitting here in this office, completing the reports would be difficult for her. This close to her heat she was even more sensitive to scents, even the weaker and faded ones, however it would be just as difficult to take the reports back to her own living quarters and complete them there. She ran a hand through her soft hair for a moment, letting the strands bounce back down against her forehead messily as she made her decision. She would not run, she would not run from his memory or his scent. He wouldn't want her to be hurting over his death and though that thought made the ache in her chest greater it gave her enough comfort to sit down at his desk and pull the stack of papers towards her.

It took her easily an hour to get into a rhythm where the scents of the office and the destruction from outside the broken windows weren't distracting her from her work. She ran her brush across the parchment with ease, signing away various works and budgets to be calculated. A soft knock at her door was the only thing that had her stirring from her calculations.

'Come in,' she called out into the empty office space and the door slid open to reveal a newly appointed Captain Kotetsu.

'Captain,' Rukia said her eyebrows jumping into her hairline in surprise. She knew the Captains tests usually took a lot longer than a few days to complete and it had only been a week or so since the war where Captain Unohana was pronounced dead.

'I know,' she smiled kindly, 'surprising isn't it? I've been studying for the Captaincy test for a while now,' she frowned, 'we don't have a combat section to complete for Squad Four Captaincy like the other squads do. The medical parts I've been studying for years…' she didn't look happy or pleased about it, likely just as upset at her Captains death as Rukia was. The two stood in companionable silence for a few moments, before she continue.

'Captain Unohana left me specific instructions behind in her final letter. I've managed to accomplish them all but she specifically stated I needed to make contact with you as soon as I could and that you'd know why?' she asked curiously as she peered at Rukia.

'Ah,' Rukia nodded, 'yes.'

This actually worked out in her favour, she'd been wondering how she'd go about raising her situation to squad four in a way that was kept private and mostly confidential.

'Unfortunately I must be in the presence of a Kuchiki nobleman before I can fill you in on the details,' she selected her words very carefully but what she really meant was "my brother is going to make you sign an NDA just as he did with the Head Captain."

'I see,' she nodded, her hand falling away from the frame of the door she'd been using to support herself. She turned her body, angling it so she was facing outside. 'Well if you'd like you can come by my office tomorrow?' she sent Rukia some kind of known smirk, 'after you've met with the head Captain.'

Rukia frowned at the girl and opened her mouth to state that she'd already met with the head Captain when one of her officers stepped up outside.

'Ah excuse me Captain Kotetsu,' he bowed his head and the Captain smiled kindly before stepping aside to let him pass by.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki,' he greeted and Rukia recognised him as one of her recently employed unseated officers, 'this is for you.'

He handed her a scroll of parchment with the wax seal of the Head Captain on it. She lifted her eyebrows questioningly to Captain Kotetsu as her unseated officer took his leave. Rukia broke the seal with her finger and unrolled the small note, reading quickly. It was a summon to the Head Captains office that evening… without her brother.

Warning signals were going off in her head until she read the final part… they'd uncovered Ukitake's body and were due to bury him beside the large Sakura blossom inside the Head Captains personal gardens. She felt her breath leave her in a rush, the lump of emotion like swallowing a hot coal down the back of her throat.

'I will see you tomorrow,' Captain Kotetsu said without further explaining herself, she took her leave from the office. Rukia was glad she'd left, allowing Rukia a private chance to digest the words formally written in the dark ink. She could deal with everything else tomorrow including making Captain Kotetsu aware of her situation.

The hot coal at the back of her throat was beginning to burn her throat and eyes. She flared her nostrils almost painfully in a bid to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill.

Head Captain knew she was an Omega now, so she desperately hoped there would be no one else there but the two of them… because if there were, Rukia would struggle to hold her emotions back. She began to grind her teeth together, the emotions threatening to spill over but she was trained better than that. With a painful bite of her tongue she set the message to the side, slipped back into her seat and focused fully on her paperwork, pushing the summon to the back of her mind.

She almost lost track of time entirely as she worked. She worked until her hand was stiff from clutching her brush so hard. She worked through the temperature drop in the room and didn't even notice the small layer of frost that adorned the desk until the sun hung low enough to catch her eye through the window. She blinked against the light and turned to gaze at the clock, if she wanted to be on time, then she'd have to leave right now.

Rukia did her best not to think about it, she stood up, straightened her uniform and lifted the summon scroll before making her way outside. She probably should have sent word to her brother as it would be likely she'd be home late that evening but she also knew if she sent word that he'd come looking for her. His overbearing protective Alpha instincts were suffocating more than they were helpful at times, except when he showed up last minute in a fight to the death to save her life, as he had done many times before. She sighed and quickly flitted through the destroyed Seireitei, her route leading her passed the building where the young soldier she'd seen earlier was now gone. Rukia pondered for a moment over what happened to the girl before the large stone pillars marking the entrance to the Head Captains offices came into view.

She showed the guards her summon before she was led to his private quarters. She wasn't at all surprised to find the Beta having a drink. He glanced up at her and held out a small ochoko cup for her to take. She knew that her brother would not approve, but Rukia wasn't quite ready to handle this without something to help dull her senses.

She took the cup gratefully and he filled it up for her then led her silently into another room and she realised she wasn't there for his burial, she was there for the tsuya only.

'You buried him?' she asked, her eyes on a picture of her Captain and the incense beside it burning the sensitive receptors in the back of her throat.

'Yes,' he replied simply.

'Why?' she didn't have enough strength to finish her question, the unspoken "didn't you wait for me" was left in the air.

He appraised her for a few moments, as if considering how to phrase his words.

'Ukitake had so much respect for you,' he said finally, turning back to gaze over at the window that led out onto his private gardens. 'He told me many times, that you'd be the one to change the society for the better.'

'That…' she felt her throat getting tighter, she wanted to argue back, demand to know why she wasn't here for the burial but his response had caught her off guard. Soul Reapers were taught that emotions only got in the way. It was partly why being a low ranked Beta or Omega was seen as such a "weakness" because they were stereotyped to be people who depended too much on others for emotional support.

'That was a heck of a compliment?' he finished for her, grinning up at her from his where he now sat cross legged on the floor. Rukia pursed her lips but eventually knelt down to join him, glancing up at the picture of Ukitake between the two sticks of incense. She'd smelled it before, it was some of his favourite sticks to burn when he was working in the office. The smell often infused with his own scent and Rukia wondered if that was perhaps the reason why Captain Kyoraku had selected it.

Maybe Omega's weren't the only ones who sought out emotional comfort after all?

The two sat in silence, drinking and when Captain Kyoraku finally spoke again Rukia realised he'd maybe been finding it just as difficult to talk as she had.

'I'll never forget the day we met,' he said and Rukia felt her interest stirring as she turned to watch him. His face had an odd faraway look on it, the lines on his face more defined and making him look much older than he was in the low lighting. 'Ukitake was always far more intelligent than I, he studied hard and worked hard. I was the popular student at the Academy, though it wasn't too much of an Academy back then as we were personally trained by Yamamoto himself.'

Rukia listened intently, having never heard this story before, her attention rapped with interest, her body turned toward the older man though still keeping Ukitake in her line of sight.

'He was struggling to fit in, came and asked me if I would be his friend, well it obviously took him a lot of courage to do it. I'd always naturally assumed he was a low ranked Beta,' Shunsui said with a smile, 'which was why I'd instantly warmed to him, but likely as you know he wasn't.'

'He was a high Beta,' Rukia smiled fondly, the high Betas were close to Alpha in everything except anatomy, they often had the same harsh temperament… but again that was another stereotype because her Captain couldn't be further from that.

'He was a high Beta,' Shunsui laughed waving a hand, 'probably the highest in the class, but it only ever came out when the need to protect others was so strong.'

Rukia smiled down into her drink, remembering his reaction when he'd found out about her being an Omega. He hadn't once treated her difference when it came to the battles, he trusted that she could hold her own just fine, but he would never ever allow her to think herself less than anyone and that was when his protective side came out.

Ukitake was the reason Rukia was so strong.

He never once coddled her like her brother did, he always encouraged her to get back up on her feet and keep fighting.

'I was probably the lowest Beta in the class,' Shunsui revealed and Rukia almost choked on her drink staring at the head Captain through large eyes as he grinned at her. 'You told me your secret, I think it's only fair I tell you mine.'

'I- I didn't know,' she said with her mouth open, normally she could smell the classes of Beta, those who were higher carried a scent similar to an Alpha and those lower, carried one similar to herself.

'I think,' he started with a soft smile into his drink, 'you'll be surprised with just how many low Beta's there are in the Seireitei and just how well Unohana helped them remain hidden.'

That stirred so many questions in Rukia's mind, the questions must have shown on her face because suddenly he was grinning into another drink of alcohol before he filled their cups back up.

'You have questions?' he asked and she blinked.

'"A noble Kuchiki doesn't bombard people with questions,"' she recited stiffly.

'A noble Kuchiki isn't present amongst two friends having a drink,' Shunsui smiled softly at her and Rukia could see them, the emotions that were flitting across his face, etched into the laughter and frown lines. 'Why do you think I summoned you without your brother? You can speak freely with me.'

'Who are they?' she started quickly, 'why can't I smell them?' she could feel the colour rising in her cheeks as she asked the questions, knowing that she should be silent, but she couldn't help it.

Shunsui only grinned at her, 'I won't tell you who they are because it's as much their right to their privacy as it is for you but as for why you can't smell them, they suppress in a very similar fashion to yourself.'

'Why do they have to supress though?' she asked, 'I only supress because…' she trailed off, her cheeks reddening, it was a known part of the Omega cycle that they'd go through a heat, every officer was taught about it.

'There's no need to be embarrassed here,' Shunsui waved a hand, 'as for why I think we have a real issue in the Seireitei of old stigmas. Men are stronger than women, Alpha's are stronger than Betas,' he shrugged his shoulders and took another drink before sighing deeply.

'What we need, is someone who can break those stigmas, shatter them into a fine dust and let them blow away,' he was talking but he wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes were trained in on the picture of Ukitake. 'Low Beta's like myself hide their secondary genders because we believe we will be treated differently, treated worse and spend the majority of our time trying to prove to others that we're in the positions we deserve to be in because of our abilities and not our genders. The pay gap between male and female soul reapers has existed too long along with so many other taboos that we can't afford to have anymore.

That is why I need a strong task force of dedicated Captains around me willing to spark and ignite change in the Seireitei. I don't want the nation to continue down this violent path where every decision ends in blood rather than forgiveness. It is what has caused us too much war and so much bloodshed in these last one hundred years than we've ever experienced before.'

Rukia listened to him, watching the emotions as they passed one by one over his face. These were thoughts and feelings he'd had for a long time but now he was in a position to do something about them. His words were inspiring, she could feel the emotion behind them and how much he loathed the old system and way of doing things.

'Ukitake was in agreement with me, we always did agree on the topic of social norms,' he added with a chuckle, pouring himself another cup and motioning for Rukia to drink hers. She raised it to her lips and took another deep drink, wincing only slightly when the alcohol burned at the back of her throat.

'If we continue the way we've been going, we will do nothing more than create more and more enemies and that is what will ultimately be our downfall.' Rukia nodded solemnly at these words.

'That is why you must become a Captain.'

She felt like someone was slowly fisting at her throat and she turned to look at him, her large eyes trying to read the emotions on his face. His expression was stoic, his decision made and he was looking pointedly up at Ukitake.

'Ukitake had always said that you would be one of the people to restore an age of peace to the Seireitei unlike anything we'd ever seen before, I didn't understand what he meant back then but now I do.' He nodded his head and took another drink from his cup, 'I want to make these changes Rukia and I'd like you in his place to help me. You have been through the receiving end of the horrific justice system of the Soul Society, you're both a woman and an Omega and you're only of the strongest souls we have.' He finally turned his gaze from the picture of Ukitake to bore his large grey eyes into her.

It was a lot to consider, she knew exactly where his thoughts were coming from. If she were successful in a position of power like a Captaincy role and he as a Head Captain running the Seireitei they could undo a lot of inequalities that had been stamped upon the genders.

They undo a lot of inequalities in the justice system, stopping harsh and brutal punishments and allowing souls to _feel _more. It was something that Rukia had learned recently from Ichigo, that souls were stronger when they were fighting for the ones they loved and that half the battles had weren't had to end lives but had because two people could not sit down and come to a verbal, empathetic understanding instead. The need to negotiate was not taught as much as the need to cross blades and that left an unsettling feeling in her Omega heart, one she'd carried all through her training as a soul reaper.

'He'd have wanted you to do it Rukia,' Shunsui pressed and Rukia could feel that lump at the back of her throat again, burning her nostrils, eyes and throat.

'Just answer me one thing,' she said and her voice was thick and raspy.

'Anything,' he said softly and Rukia couldn't stop it, couldn't prevent it in time before the emotions welled in her eyes and spilled down over her cheeks.

'Why didn't you wait for me to bury him?' her voice was barely a whisper and she refused to look at him, her eyes only for the friendly face and graceful smile in the frame that she would never ever see again.

Shunsui seemed to be considering her for a moment, thinking about how he wanted to word whatever his response was.

'I was going to wait,' he said honestly, 'but as it's been a week…' he trailed off and Rukia knew, she _knew _why she just wanted to hear him say it.

'He didn't look good Rukia,' the emotion was evident in his voice now too, the subtle shift in his scent telling her that he was remembering something he'd rather not, 'it was not the last image I wanted you to have of him. To you he should and always will remain strong, which is exactly what he'd want you to be right now. I didn't think he'd want you to see him like that.'

Rukia nodded, her blurry eyes finally glancing away from the image of the man she had grown to love and care for like family. The cup in her hand was blurred into one giant shape and as she blinked more tears spilled silently down her face, making the image of the cup in her hands clearer.

Emotions were forbidden and yet after they'd been expelled, it was often the case that the picture became that little bit clearer somehow.

'I will do it,' she said finally, ignoring the way her voice was laden with emotion, 'I will become Captain and take over the division he loved so much.'

'Thank you Rukia,' Shunsui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at her words, 'I know this will not be an easy journey and I know your brother will be upset, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you.'

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**Please review! Chapters will be updated weekly!**


	2. Close Call

**Massive thanks to always-this-serious, Anon and the Guest who left me comments on my last chapter :D they're much appreciated, let me know what you think about this one!**

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"Discussion" wasn't the right word for the blatant row that followed her announcement of going for the Captaincy role. Byakuya was livid, a lot of the Kuchiki noblemen were. They were angry she'd made such an important decision alone, angry that she'd not consulted them, angry that she'd been "so easily manipulated" like the little Omega she was.

Rukia had to sit and grit her teeth through the discussions that followed, unable to speak up for herself because it wasn't her place. What kind of bullshit logic was that anyway? The arguments and discussions were about her and yet she had no say?

Such was the life of an Omega and a woman in the Seireitei.

The only thing that kept her going through long evening debate was the thoughts that somehow, someway she'd make this easier for the next female Omega who had to suffer through the same treatment.

Tired and exhausted from a long day, she was dismissed without dinner and traipsed back to her empty room in the Kuchiki household. The servants had placed clothing from the noblemen in her room and the scents made her want to scream. They'd clearly thought that an Omega needed a nest filled of scents of the family, but they weren't her family, not by blood and the events of the evening caused their scents to prickle her nose in a hostile way.

Without thinking too much about it she'd thrown open her window and dumped all the sheets and pillows and clothing that had been provided for her nest out of the room and into the courtyard below. Not caring about the repercussions she just needed the scents gone from her environment asap, the thought of them alone enough to prickle her skin. Soon she was left with nothing more than her basic cover, which was a mere thin sheet that she wrapped herself in away from her bed.

The events of the day finally caught up to her, she was tired, hungry and emotionally exhausted and the sting of tears burned at the back of her eyes as she thought of Ukitake. What if she forgot what he smelled like? That comforting scent of rosewood and cinnamon that had been installed in her brain to bring her a sense of peace and calm unlike anything ever had before.

She could feel the tears spilling from the corner of her eyes despite how hard she tried to clench them shut. His scent had always been infused in her nest, he'd always happily donated items when she'd asked for them.

Rukia laughed lowly out into the empty space of her room, wiping her nose on her cover for a moment as she remembered her first heat cycle. She'd been stealing a lot of his clothing and Ukitake had politely chosen to ignore the situation. When she finally returned everything back to him, washed and cleaned he'd simply chuckled at her and admitted he'd worked out what was happening. Then he'd scented everything again for her and told her to keep it all.

Rukia grinned warmly into the room, feeling her tears tickle the edges of her mouth as she remembered the light and humour in his eyes. The kindness in his face as he'd admitted she could come and ask him anytime and she should never feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask him for something. He'd even given her his haori once too when she'd been in desperate need of comfort. It had been the one item she'd been allowed to smuggle into the Senzaikyū as she awaited her execution. His scent alone had kept her safe, kept her warm, kept her sane.

And now he was gone.

And she felt the full force of her grief hit her.

She wasn't even aware what time she finally drifted off, or just how much of her grief had seeped out of her during the night, for when she woke in the morning it was all she could smell in the room; the scent of a distressed and upset Omega.

Rukia glanced blurry eyed out, the sun hadn't even began to kiss the horizon yet and she knew she couldn't stay in this room. She dressed quickly, took her suppressants and waited the minimal amount of time for them to kick in before she threw open the window and escaped out into the Seireitei.

The thought of dealing with Byakuya and any of the noblemen that morning was making her feel sick to her stomach and she just wanted to fill her time with work and physical labour.

Her soldiers knew better to question her when they woke one by one from their barracks and spotted her clearing rubble, the side of the building just below the office had been blasted badly and she was repairing the damage with Kido. The structures inside the Seireitei were made out of pure spiritual pressure, which meant it could be repaired the same way, though she wasn't as good at it as some of the other grunt soldiers who had repaired the walls and building so many times after following every single war.

'Good morning Lieutenant Kuchiki,' a voice called and Rukia turned in time to see her fourth seat Daiki Nakamura walking toward her. In his hand was clutched a scroll and he paused to allow her the chance to push aside a large section of rubble before she turned to face him. The burn in her shoulders and back was exactly what she needed to take her mind off everything else she was feeling.

'Good morning Daiki,' she said, not offering the man a smile because she had none left to give. None the less he smiled back at her and held out the scroll.

'Captain Kotetsu has summoned you Lieutenant,' he explained, 'I think she thought you'd be with your brother as this is addressed to you both Lieutenant.'

Rukia unsealed the note and read. She was to be at the squad four medical facilities in a few hours with her brother present. Rukia set her jaw and rolled the scroll back up, handing it back to Daiki.

'Can you take this to my brother and tell him I will meet him there at the time of the summon?' she stated firmly.

'Yes Lieutenant,' he bowed and quickly made his way off in the direction of the Kuchiki manor. Rukia watched his retreating form, feeling knots of apprehension settling into her stomach and creating a feeling of unease that had dissipated slightly with the laborious work.

She didn't want to even think about how much trouble she'd be in with Byakuya later for how she'd been behaving recently. Normally she was much better at bottling up her emotions, but with a heat just around the corner the feat was almost impossible.

Perhaps she could speak to Captain Kotetsu about a new form of suppressant, one that would better help her get a handle on her rampaging hormones when she was due. Rukia groaned and run a hand through her hair, feeling her fingers tug at the roots and wrinkled her nose, she could hardly turn up to a summoning with a Captain in this state and she refused to head back to the Kuchiki manor to be bathed like a child.

Making a decision, Rukia turned on her heel and headed off in the direction of her own personal living quarters. She'd not been back since the dust of the final battle of war had settled. The space was almost alien when she opened the door and her nose wrinkled at the dank faded scents of Quincy which had been fighting close to the area. She paused for a moment to mend a piece of wall before turning and opening the main door into her living space. Where most other Lieutenants had large couches and sitting areas to entertain guests, Rukia had actually put her bed, so it would have space enough to supplement a large nest.

She approached hesitantly, smiling ruefully when she could smell the faint dusty scent of rosewood and cinnamon… he was still here, he hadn't left her yet. Tension seemed to drain from her shoulders and she turned and cast an eye into the door off the next room where she had a private showering area.

She located a fresh uniform still hung neatly in a cupboard and took it with her as she slipped into the shower, testing the water. There was no hot water running to her private quarters but the cold did not bother Rukia. She showered quickly and dressed in a hurry aware of her dwindling time and on top of being an ungrateful child of the Nobel household she didn't also wish to be a late one.

Rukia left hastily and used flash step to carry her off in the direction of the 4th Division. She could feel her brothers spiritual pressure prickling at the back of her neck and knew that has following behind her. The knot of anxiety balled back in her stomach again, twisting and curling as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She refused to slow her pace or turn around, or give him any acknowledgement that she knew he was there.

When her feet finally found the cracked pavement outside the hospital, her brother was by her side in an instant.

'Onii-sama,' she greeted formally.

He let out a strange sigh and Rukia turned to him, he looked torn between anger and concern. His dark eyes boring into her as straightened his back.

'You weren't in your room this morning,' he said firmly.

'I had work to do,' she dipped her head in a small apology since she wasn't feeling up to more formally apologising for her behaviour.

'You threw all the bedding and scented clothing out your window.'

'The scents were upsetting me,' she said simply and his jaw tightened a little.

'The room, your scent,' he sighed again, 'you smelled upset.'

'I was,' she told him firmly, 'I understand when it comes to decisions made about how I should live that they're up to the noble family, but I do not wish for those decisions to be pushed upon me in my private sleeping quarters.'

Byakuya looked torn between being shocked and impressed at her bold retort. The two stood eyeing each other for a few long moments before his shoulders slumped a little, the tension he'd been holding in them draining.

'You are right,' he said with a nod, 'the idea had been mine I had thought without… without Captain Ukitake that you may have needed the support.'

Rukia relaxed herself, her brother wasn't here to chin her for her improper behaviour. He was genuinely confused and just trying to help. It must have been hard for an Alpha to understand and he was clearly trying to do what he could to help her through a difficult time in her life.

'Thank you,' she said genuinely, 'I appreciate the sentiment, but it is not necessary.'

'What do you mean?' Byakuya frowned at her.

'I think,' she frowned, 'I am in a place where the noble scents do not quell my unease nor do they provide me comfort. I am in a place now where I need to seek the comfort elsewhere.'

Byakuya looked like he had been on the verge of asking for more details and Rukia was pleased they were interrupted. The truth was she wasn't fully sure herself what kind of other comfort she needed, it was likely that of a friendship like she had with Ichigo and Renji, their scents calmed her in a way that Byakuya's never could.

'Good morning Captain Kuchiki, Lieutenant Kuchiki,' a squad four member greeted them with a bow as she opened the door, 'the Captain is expecting you both, please follow me.'

Their conversation ceased now that someone else was present and the two of them followed the squad four member as she led them down a maze of corridors until they stopped outside the Captains office.

Rukia recognised the door, having been here a few times to see Captain Unohana.

The door was made of steel, unlike most traditional sliding doors of the Seireitei. The metal blocked out scents and kept the privacy of the Captains and Lieutenants who's examinations were only ever to be carried out by the Captain of Squad Four.

The squad four member pressed a buzzer to announce their arrival then made herself scarce, disappearing off somewhere.

Rukia and Byakuya were left alone again but did not resume their conversation, it was much easier to be overheard in a space like this than it was outside. Instead Rukia leaned against the wall, feeling her brother's gaze on her face and the weight that had settled in her stomach start to press down again without conversation to distract her. She clenched her jaw and did her best to try and remain patient when the large metal door finally clicked and swung open. Rukia made a point not to look at her brother and instead turned to look at the excited face of Captain Kotetsu as she ushered them into her office and closed the door.

This medical room doubled as an office, so the space was quite large. In the top left side was a large handsome mahogany desk with matching chairs in front of it. More than just paperwork and ink sat on the desk, there were an assortment of different machines and a cabinet full of syringes and needles. The office had an unusually large ceiling with bright white lighting, a bed with crinkly paper was immediately to the left for examinations and to the right was a sink, a measuring stick set against the wall and a few more bits and pieces including a set of scales. The potent stench of disinfectant caused Rukia's nose to wrinkle, it wasn't her favourite smell in the world, she preferred homely scents.

Byakuya made his way over and sat down in the first chair close to the desk and Rukia dutifully stood behind him, her eyes on the squad four Captain.

Captain Kotetsu smiled up at them.

'I'll admit I've been rather excited for this,' she said, her eyes large and alight as she pulled out various bits of paperwork. 'I've got your records locked in a drawer and I was left specific instructions that I was only to view the contents of the cabinet once I'd had a chance to talk to you both,' she held up a large metal key and pointed her head to a cabinet behind her.

Rukia could feel the heat flushing into her cheeks, she was pleased that Captain Unohana had taken her privacy seriously but she couldn't help but think what a disappointment that this would be for Captain Kotetsu.

'I'm assuming,' she said bouncing excitedly in her seat, 'that she knew you were going to be made a Captain one day so she has privatised your files along with the other Captains,' her eyes were sparkling as she tried to guess.

'Before we tell you,' Byakuya said, interrupting the woman who had opened her mouth to say something more, 'we need you to sign paperwork.'

Rukia groaned and she was sure that Byakuya had heard it because he flashed a look over his shoulder and she ducked her head apologetically.

'Sign paperwork?' Captain Kotetsu blinked in surprise having not expected it to be shoved under her nose so soon. She took the pieces of paper and flipped through them noting that it was an NDA just the same way as the Head Captain had.

'Alright,' she finally said, signing the last page with a flourish, 'what is this all about?' her eyes darted between Byakuya and Rukia.

'I'm an Omega,' she said and watched as Captain Kotetsu's eyes widened and she – just like everyone else – asked for further clarification.

Once established, her eyes went from shocked to excited in a heartbeat.

'Oh my gosh,' she gushed looking far too happy with this piece of knowledge, 'Rukia! I've never done an examination on an Omega before!'

Rukia flushed and adjusted her zanpakuto on her hip as she tried not to think too much about the logistics of what that meant. Her brother seemed annoyed by the thought though and scowled at the other Captain.

'Remember she is a human not an experiment,' he said firmly and Captain Kotetsu looked a little guilty.

'Yes, sorry forgive me,' she added hastily before turning over to the locked cabinet and opening it with a click of the key. The door swung open and inside was, thankfully, Rukia's suppressants. They had been specially made along with instructions on how to replicate the formula.

'Alright Byakuya,' Isane said with a smile, 'can I ask you to wait outside?' her eyes were on Rukia like she was the most interesting thing on the planet and Rukia was doing her very best to politely ignore the stare.

'I will be standing directly outside,' he said firmly, standing to his full height and his Alpha gaze heavy on the other Captain, 'Rukia should you need me please call.' He turned his gaze on her before sweeping out the room and Rukia relaxed a little. She had no intention of calling on Byakuya for help she'd manage just fine by herself.

'Alright Rukia,' Captain Kotetsu smiled at her rubbing her hands together and looking far too eager as she towered over her, 'I'm going to start with some standard procedures then I'll get you up on the examination table for your Captaincy check.'

Blood pressure, heart, weight and height were all taken and at each point anytime Captain Kotetsu made contact with her skin she'd make a comment about how soft her skin was or how there wasn't a single blemish. Even Rukia's scars healed differently to everyone else's.

Most soul reaper scars healed into distant, yet shiny thin lines similar to their skin tone. Hers healed in a more matted look, the blemishes blending once again into her skin so it looked like it was smooth and untouched.

'You're so lucky,' the taller woman smiled ruefully down after having searched long and hard to even find a scar to examine properly in the first place. She'd picked one of the freshest from the war but Omega's healed quicker than the other secondary genders and that was on top of soul reapers already having quite a fast recovery rate.

'Being an Omega isn't all it's cracked up to be,' Rukia huffed a little.

'I don't know, Rukia you can have a _child. _That's surely got to be worth any kind of pain or embarrassment?' she asked and Rukia turned her face to the side where she lay on the table.

It was true that being able to have a child was something most female reapers would give their life for, but she didn't understand why it was such a big deal, especially when she'd likely be forced to marry some Alpha she didn't love just for the privilege.

Captain Kotetsu didn't press the matter, her silence alone telling the other woman it wasn't a topic she was willing to broach. Instead the Captain simply continued with her Kido examinations, keeping any exclamation of interest to a minimum as Rukia kept painfully still on the examination table.

'That's you,' she said finally stepping back and smiling at her as Rukia sat up. 'Did you need some more of your suppressants?' she asked as she made her way over to the cabinet that was still sitting open.

'Yes please,' Rukia said and Isane handed her the small bottle.

'The chart left by Unohana shows that you're due a heat soon,' she stated, 'in about a week?'

'Yes, I'll take my suppressants up to the day before then I'll stop them, have my heat and return to taking them the next day,' she explained.

Captain Kotetsu nodded her head for a moment, her lips pursed like she wanted to ask more.

'Well your Captaincy test has a big tick,' she nodded down to her clipboard, 'you're in perfect health and as far as I can tell from my information on Omegas you're in good shape.' She tapped her ink brush against the form she'd been filling out, 'a little bit of extra weight around the hips and the-'

'Yes thank you,' Rukia said quickly, her face hot, she knew that she was physically a little different to most others and she was just thankful that her uniform hid it better than the clothing in the world of the living had.

Isane grinned at her but whatever she'd been about to say was interrupted with the sound of raised voices outside the door.

It was hard to hear exactly what was being said but the buzzer sounded loud and clear much to the chagrin of Byakuya who vocalised his indignation outside.

'Are you okay for me to open the door?' Isane asked as Rukia slipped the suppressants into her inside pocket and nodded. The door was thrown open to reveal Lieutenant Matsumoto looking a little hurried but amused. She seemed to be ignoring Byakuya's blatant protests behind her as she beamed at Captain Kotetsu.

'Good morning Captain,' she said warmly and Rukia tried not to eye the woman too jealously. Rangiku was one of these women who were incredibly powerful and incredibly beautiful all wrapped into one large package. She was growing her strawberry blonde hair out again and she flipped it over her shoulder as she conversed with the Captain.

'What can I do for you?' Isane asked.

'My Captain needs your help,' Lieutenant Matsumoto smirked, a playful twinkle set deep in those baby blue eyes, 'he's frozen some of the squad eleven members after catching them trying to sneak into the women's bathing area. No one else can heal this severity of frostbite.'

Rukia snorted with laughter and Rangiku turned her gaze on her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle more and her plump lips pulled up at the corners as if she too, found this incredibly amusing.

'This is the second time this week,' Captain Kotetsu said with a sigh, 'can't Captain Zarakai keep his men under control?'

'It seems not,' Rangiku laughed and moved to stand further in the office and close to Rukia. Rukia had noticed before, that the women emitted a calming sort of aura, she was very motherly and it had been something Rukia had noticed more and more in the world of the living. Rangiku was the kind of person born to be a mother, not Rukia, though she did have to wonder how a child would fair being fed with her large… assets.

Rangiku caught Rukia staring and winked at her, causing the smaller Lieutenant to flush.

'Let me just finish up this paperwork,' the Captain said as she shuffled a few documents and Rangiku rounded on Rukia.

'Why are you here anyway Rukia?' she asked with a broad grin and Rukia felt herself flush under the intense gaze as she always seemed to do around the woman.

'I, just had a check-up,' she said quickly, her eyes falling onto her brother who was watching Captain Kotetsu to make sure that none of the documents she had out breached the NDA.

'Well I miss you,' the taller woman sighed dramatically, 'we've not hung out properly since the world of the living.'

'I know,' Rukia smiled, remembering fondly the nights in the world of the living where she'd be allowed to hang out with Orihime and Rangiku and do normal girl things. Despite them being there for a purpose, it had, at times, felt like a vacation, but then Rangiku had this ability to make anything seem like fun, even training.

'We should hang out again soon,' Rangiku said, her eyes lighting back up, that sparkle present once again as she brought her perfectly manicured thumb up to touch her lips. Seriously, how did the girl keep such perfect nails when they'd just been through a war? No doubt she was leaving all the heavy lifting manual labour up to other members of her division which just made Rukia smirk.

Rangiku was very good at getting away without doing a lick of work, she hated paperwork and if she wasn't doing paperwork and wasn't helping to tidy and clean the Seireitei then it was likely the only thing she was spending her time doing was drinking and annoying her Captain.

'How about tonight?' Rangiku asked and Rukia felt her brothers gaze snap around to her face. She could practically hear him screaming at her to say no, but Rukia realised quite suddenly that there was nothing she wanted to do more.

'Yeah that should be fine,' she said, she could feel her brothers gaze boring into her skin.

Rangiku squealed and clapped her hands together in excitement, 'okay let's say meet at mine for dinner and drinks!' she said and Rukia pursed her lips in amusement.

'Dinner sounds great,' she said clearly so her brother could hear her. Though with Rangiku being in charge of the evening, there likely wouldn't be any food involved at all.

'Great, I'll see you at five,' Rangiku beamed at her as Captain Kotetsu rose from her desk finally having locked everything away in her cabinet again.

'I'll see you at five,' Rukia confirmed walking out beside her brother and watching as Captain Kotetsu and Rangiku made their way down a different corridor to head off in the direction of the tenth division.

'Rukia,' her brother's voice was already warning her, 'I don't think you should go.'

'Why?' she asked, the thought of having to straight back to her room at the Kuchiki manor after work making the anxious feeling in her stomach return. She twisted away from her brothers hand as he reached out to her, his fingers faltering before the hand ended up back at his side again.

'You're too close,' he said, not saying anymore but they both knew exactly what he meant. She was too close to a heat but what did that matter? Rangiku wasn't going to trigger anything, she just wanted to have a girly evening in like they'd done in the world of the living together.

'I_ need_ this,' Rukia could hear the desperation in her own voice and she turned the full weight of her eyes on him. Byakuya faltered in his step, deep grey eyes fixed on hers and his brows furrowing in the middle as he contemplated the decision.

She did need this, she was begging up at him with a gaze. There had been too much, too much death and destruction recently, too many arguments, too much apprehension and uncertain future. She needed an evening to feel free once again, cut from the ties of a noblewoman and allowed to relax.

An apprehensive and protective look crossed his features as he folded his arms into the opposite sleeves of his haori.

'Alright,' Byakuya said firmly, 'but I want you back in time to take your medication.' He was being mindful of the language he was using in case they were overheard. He was referencing her suppressants and he fixed her with a look that told her that wasn't up for discussion.

She nodded her agreement, handing him her latest batch of suppressants to take back with him before she was dismissed to return to her duties.

The rest of her working day seemed to drag in, now that she actually had something to look forward too. Her leg bounced at the desk as she sat in her office, refusing to clean away too much of the rubble for fear of upsetting the last of Ukitake's scent. Instead she had made herself a small clean space and between the neat lines of dust was where she worked. Paperwork did little to rid her mind of the looming thoughts of her Captaincy test and how the noblemen of the Kuchiki house would treat her upon her return. Instead she watched the deep orange lines of the setting sun creep across the table, disturbing the dust and highlighting the fraying edges of the ancient wood.

Rukia removed herself quickly from the desk as soon as the exact time she'd allocated herself arrived. She locked her office and made her way slowly toward the tenth division. The setting sun was highlighting the devastation of the Seireitei just as much as it had the frayed edges of her desk. Rukia could still hear the commands from soldiers as they made their way around various points and attempted to clear rubble and uncover bodies. This war had by far been the worst, so many lives had been lost and Rukia had to wonder for a moment what it had done to the balance of the world. She knew that Urahara was keeping his eye on all that and it wasn't something she shouldn't concern herself with, but she did have a moment of feeling guilty as she arrived in the tenth division. She was here about to enjoy a night in with Rangiku while there were still soldiers out there who had yet to be uncovered… the thought made her stomach clench as she knocked on the door to Rangiku's private living quarters.

All thoughts were wiped from her mind as soon as the boisterous women pulled open her door. Her hair was sexily tussled and the grin on her face reached her eyes, causing them to crinkle at the sides in a warm way.

'Rukia!' she squealed, pulling the girl inside. Rukia had just a second to notice that Rangiku's place was just as sloppy as the women herself. Living world clothes seemed to be strewn everywhere along with empty bottles of sake and yet the place didn't feel unclean, just very lived in and warm.

'Sorry for the mess,' Rangiku called as she pulled a pile of clothes off from the side of the couch she clearly didn't sit in and dumped them over a smaller chair in the corner that was already groaning under a healthy display of purses and bags.

'That's okay,' Rukia said, amusement evident in her voice as she pulled her zanpakuto off and placed it down beside Rangiku's own at the side of her couch. She took the seat that Rangiku had cleared for her and gazed eagerly around the room, first smile she'd felt in days resting on her face. The area was spacious but all the clutter made it seem much smaller than it actually was, she was sure there was a kitchen around there somewhere but it was hard to tell because of a mountain of new shopping bags sitting on the bunker and blocking the room from view. Rangiku's scent was warm and welcoming, it was much more difficult to place than the other scents, it was simply homely. Freshly laundered sheets, home cooking, comfort, her scent seemed to be all those things wrapped together.

'Have you been out shopping?' Rukia asked pointing to the bags and Rangiku's face lit up as she moved over to them.

'Yes do you want to see?' she asked and Rukia nodded. She tried to push all thoughts from her mind about the war, about work, about her upcoming second part of her test as Rangiku reached into bag after bag and pulled out outfit after outfit that could barely pass for appropriate clothing. Rukia pursed her lips at a couple of outfits, they seemed questionable in their size but Rangiku had assured her that she'd tried them on and they fit just fine in the store.

'You should come shopping with me some time,' she gushed leaning over into her space and offering her a cup of sake which Rukia accepted with slight hesitation. 'I'd love to buy you loads of cute little dresses, you've got such a good figure under all that,' she waved at the uniform Rukia wore and Rukia felt her cheeks heat up.

'Maybe,' she said because she didn't want to outright reject the idea. The thought of spending some fun days with Rangiku in the world of the living doing something as mindless as shopping actually sounded like a very good idea.

'There's this tiny little boutique that sells the most adorable dresses but they're always too small for me,' she gushed, shuffling ungracefully over to be closer to Rukia on the couch. Rukia could feel the women's scent engulf her, feel the warmth of the alcohol she was now drinking spread through her.

This was exactly what she'd needed.

'That sounds like fun,' she nodded as Rangiku filled up her little cup again, 'so tell me what's been happening on the dating front?' she smirked into her drink and watched as Rangiku rolled her eyes.

'Well,' she started firmly, 'before the war interrupted me, I'd been seeing the fifth seat in squad eight, you know the guy, large but a bit scrawny? Anyway he was the complete opposite of a gentleman, even decided it would be appropriate to pick his nose during the date…'

Rangiku rambled on about the various guys she'd been dating over the course of the months leading up the war. One of the men still hadn't been found yet and that caused both girls to grimace, the rest of them sounded like the wrong kind of guy for her. The difficultly with being as good looking as Rangiku was, there was only one kind of guy who had the balls to ask you out.

'What about you?' she finished at the end of one of her woeful tales, 'anyone capture that little Kuchiki eye of yours?' she smirked as she poured Rukia another drink and Rukia felt her face flush. She was sure it wasn't because of the alcohol though she had been fed quite a lot of it. The gentle hum at the back of her brain was only ever present when she'd had one cup too many and the warmth was settling into her bones, making her feel relaxed and lethargic.

'No, no,' she mumbled shyly causing Rangiku to grin wider, 'no one.'

'Are you allowed to date?' Rangiku asked boldly topping up her cup once again and Rukia sipped happily.

'I can yes,' she said finally choosing her words carefully, 'but I just have to be mindful of status, no point in falling in love with someone I'm now allowed to actually marry.'

'That must be so difficult,' Rangiku wrinkled her nose as she tipped the last of the contents from the bottle into her own cup before tossing the bottle behind her somewhere. Rukia laughed as she heard the bottle land on a pile of clothes before rolling off nosily onto the floor.

'It can be,' she said with a grin into her drink, 'but right now I'm finding it hard to care.'

Which was true, the pleasant warmth of alcohol was making everything fuzzy around her vision and Rangiku giggled at her, the flush on the woman's cheeks matching her hair in a way that made her eyes stand out more.

'You're so cute when you're drunk,' she slurred at her, spilling a tiny bit of the sake from her cup and licking it off her thumb.

'Well as long as I'm cute drunk,' Rukia sighed dramatically, 'at least that's something I've accomplished in my life.'

'Nah, you're cute all the time,' Rangiku grinned at her and slipped a finger under Rukia's cup tipping it up as she tried to encourage the woman to drink the rest of it. Not needing any reason to waste the liquid on her own clothing, Rukia quickly caught it in her mouth and the two of them cheered.

It was when they were halfway through the second bottle that they ended up lying side by side each other on couch chatting about the woes of war. Rukia steered clear from the topic of Ukitake but it was obvious that war had affected Rangiku and her division just as much as it had affected Rukia and her own. They glossed the topic, skirting around the heavier side of it and talking more about where they went from here now that they were a few Captains down.

Rukia almost missed the hell butterfly fluttering above her because she had her eyes closed and they only fluttered open at the feeling of tiny little wing beats against her cheek.

'Ohhh,' Rangiku slurred, 'you've got mail.'

They both giggled as she held her finger out awkwardly for the message. It was relayed silently to her, in her mind only. She'd formally passed her physical check-up and next up would be her physical fighting exam to test her abilities in combat. It were to take place the day after next.

'What did it say?' Rangiku asked and she tried to sit up before slumping back down again.

'Nothing important.'

'Rukiiiiaaaaaa,' she huffed, 'I thought we were beasties now.'

'No we're just drunk,' Rukia laughed as she turned to pull a pillow out from under a dress and hugged it close, inhaling the warm homely scent. This was a space that Rukia felt more comfortable in than her bedroom back at the noble manor. Maybe she'd just simply pluck a few of Rangiku's things for her nest? She surely wouldn't notice a couple of things going missing in this mess?

Rangiku was speaking to her but Rukia had begun to tune her out, his mind glossing over the details of the day as she slowly started to drift off to sleep.

When she woke, the first thing she noticed was that she was feeling incredibly hot. The second was that she was covered up under a pile of Rangiku's clothing and feeling more content and at peace than she had done in weeks. Rukia turned and nuzzled down into the combination of pillows and covers that had been strewn over her.

It was very, very hot though and Rukia huffed, shoving a few things away from her when she heard the sound of raised voices.

'- meant to be in the office over two hours ago Matsumoto,' the strained and annoyed voice of Captain Hitsugaya reached her.

Then his scent hit her. Winter jasmine, peppermint oil and cedar but the cedar was much stronger, fresher in his current mood and carried through the door from the wind outside.

Rukia hadn't even realised she was falling from the couch until the thud sounded and she found her face pressed down into the harsh cold floor. She tried to bury her nose into Rangiku's clothes and inhale the scent of them instead, trying to block his scent from her nostrils but it was too late the damage had been done.

She could feel heat rolling down her back, sweat causing her body to slide awkwardly in her uniform and she clutched at the article of clothing she had wrapped around her neck. It needed to stay in place for she'd not taken her suppressant.

Her eyes were open and gazing in alarm around the room, Rangiku had wandered back in, her blue eyes full of concern and she was sticking her face down into Rukia's personal space.

Rukia only just managed to stifle the moan of longing as Rangiku brought a fresh wave of Captain Hitsugaya's scent with her. The tall strawberry blonde was saying something but her voice sounded distant, far away, like she was talking from above water and Rukia was drowning.

_No, no, no_ this couldn't be happening, this wasn't good, she had to get out of here fast.

'Rukia what's wrong?' Rangiku's voice sounded worried and she held her hand out to feel her head. Rukia couldn't jerk away from the touch fast enough and Rangiku's eyes went wide as she felt the temperature of her clammy forehead.

'Captain,' she called out into the room and Rukia wanted to _die. _Captain Hitsugaya couldn't come in here, he couldn't be near her, not like this, he was an _Alpha! _

That thought didn't seem to be enough to stop the action though and very soon his white hair was in her vision along with a heavier dose of his scent. Seriously, how could no one else smell this? Why was it only her Omega nose being tortured so badly? His scent was overwhelmingly _Alpha. _How could anyone argue that he was anything else but?

The musky undertones were erotic in a way nothing else had ever smelled before. She'd never smelled anything so good in her whole life.

'What's wrong?' his voice sounded concerned and Rangiku was shaking her head.

'I don't know,' her voice sounded worried and she tried calling out Rukia's name again but Rukia just closed her eyes with a moan and buried her nose further into whatever covering Rangiku had wrapped her in.

They were speaking in hushed tones and when Rukia finally had the strength to open her eyes again it was to the sight of Captain Hitsugaya leaning over, having replaced Rangiku. He held a hand out to feel for her forehead, his large teal eyes full of concern. His uniform slipping below his neck and revealing the smooth untouched patch of scent glands… she wanted to run her tongue over them, wanted to bite down on them and drag that delicious scent out into her mouth until she was drowning in it. She wanted _him. _More than she'd ever wanted anything before in her life.

His fingers were closing in, slipping under her fringe, his cool skin was ready to make contact with her flaming flesh and she was ready, ready to feel him.

Then a tight hand encased his wrist and suddenly the white haired Captain was being pulled back, a shocked look crossing his face as Rukia glanced up into the eyes of her brother.

He wasn't wearing his haori and had clearly dressed in a rush. His voice sounded just as distance as the other's had, like he too was talking above water and she couldn't make out much of what he was saying…

'That's why we were at Squad Four yesterday,' he seemed to be explaining something but she hissed at him and quickly drew his attention. Rukia didn't want them to know… didn't want Captain Hitsugaya to know what she was and so as Byakuya lifted her from the floor she kept the covering around her neck clamped tight. She was completely torn, the fading rational side of her wanting to leave as quickly as she could and the other side of her, the more animalistic side, wanting to leap from her brothers arms and _do things_ to Captain Hitsugaya… thing's she'd never ever thought about doing to him before.

Rukia only breathed a sigh of relief when the scent of winter jasmine and cedar was fading, her brother having pulled her away from Rangiku's living quarters and heading off with her wrapped securely in his arms. For once his Alpha scent was comforting… it wasn't exactly what she was craving, but it was comforting all the same. Being away from a safe place and ready to have a heat was a horrible feeling but in her brothers arms she felt more safe than she ever thought possible.

'Hold on,' he breathed down to her, 'we're almost home.'

Rukia only whimpered in understanding, curling further against his chest and praying that Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku wouldn't work out exactly what had been going on.

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**As always a comment / review would be hugely appreciated!**


	3. Captaincy Test

**Hey guys, so this chapter I start to mention and make reference to things that may push on the rating a little bit, so please be mindful of that when reading. By the time chapter 8 comes out for this fic, it will swap to a MATURE rating. I'll give you warning and I will also bold out the graphic sections so you can choose to skip them if it's not to your taste! **

**A massive thanks to always-this-serious, Fafacute, that 1 lady and Anon for reviewing / commenting on the last chapter! I loved reading them! :D Please enjoy this chapter!**

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A heat was always torn between being the most vulnerable time and the most enjoyable time of the Omega cycle. An Omega was completely indisposed for anywhere between 2 to 6 hours on average, though it was hard to tell what an average was considering there were no more Omegas in the Seireitei.

Rukia had no idea if these hours were normal for an Omega or not, she had to just trust that the information that Unohana had given to her was correct and that the hours for her heat were expected. During the heat, Rukia was completely vulnerable, relying on the fact that her nest was in a safe location and that her brother would ward off any Alphas from coming too close to her. During a heat she could focus on very little except the rolls of pleasure down her spine, the way her body reacted to her fingers as she tried to get herself through as many orgasms as she could and bit down on various pieces of fabric to try and keep her cries and moans from carrying too far.

This time her heat lasted over four hours and with Captain Hitsugaya's scents still scorching the back of her nose, Rukia found it incredibly difficult to focus on anything but his scent and anything but his image and because of this, her heat was not enjoyable. The nest was repellent to her. It didn't hold the same level of comfort it normally did, despite her brother providing her with covers coated in his scent, there was now only one scent she wanted to shroud herself in and that was the icy Captains of squad ten.

By the time her heat came to a finish, Rukia lay panting and covered in sweat, her entire body shivering from exhaustion. She had a beat of rest, where her mind was completely still and she could enjoy the fact that the itch was starting to subside before the overwhelming guilt and shame washed over her.

Rukia was angry with herself, angry that she'd let herself get into that situation rather than listening to her brother's advice and staying close to home with her heat so close. Rukia didn't wish to direct her frustration at her brother though and tried to swallow her feeling of shame when he came to check in on her.

Byakuya walked into the room carrying a tray with tea to help her recover from her heat. He knew her so well and knew that immediately after, green tea was the first thing she could stomach before the hunger kicked in and she'd crave sugar and carbs. His gaze swept over her, so full of concern and care as he barked orders at the servants and they began to draw her a bath.

'You're still warm,' Byakuya said, his strong Alpha scent washing over, the notes and undertones of aggression and protectiveness putting her mind at ease, 'you should rest for today.'

'I can't,' Rukia replied with a grimace, remembering her Captain test later that day, 'I have my Captain test.'

Her brother's gaze flashed disapprovingly but he said nothing, the hard edge to his mouth was set and it seemed he wouldn't be changing his mind. He still did not wish for her to become a Captain.

It was no longer his choice though and Rukia wanted to do it, more than anything for Captain Ukitake, to take care of the squad he'd held so much love for.

'You know how I feel about this,' he said standing to take his leave and Rukia glanced up to him with a look that he took to mean she wasn't going to be swayed away from her decision. He simply sighed and gracefully crossed the room, pausing only for a second to glance back at her.

'Oh, while you were…' he searched for the right word, '…_incapacitated_, Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto came by to check you were okay.'

Rukia's ears perked up at that, her eyes going wide. She hadn't expected them both to care so much… maybe Rangiku yes? But to come all the way here and in person, that seemed a little out of character even for the motherly figure.

Captain Hitsugaya though… Rukia recalled when she'd found the young member of his squad buried in the rubble of the building and the compassion he'd showed her as she lay dying… maybe it wasn't so out of character for him? She just didn't know his character well enough.

Rukia nodded her head and her brother took his leave from the room. She glanced around at the messy nest she'd half-heartedly thrown together with her brother's things prior to the worst of her heat hitting her.

After her Captain test, she'd have to arrange to go and see them both and thank them for their concern. Rukia was confident in her ability to pass the test, or at least more confident than she'd maybe been when she'd heard about it. It had nothing to do with having reached Bankai because she wouldn't even be allowed to use it. After a heat, hormones raged through an Omega's system and they carried a kind of confidence. A fierce will to protect a child, an unyielding ability to not supply mercy to an enemy, and on top of it all she always found she was able to push herself further in her training immediately following her heat.

It could actually work out in her favour that she was to be sitting the practical Captaincy part of her test that day.

Confidence blooming in her stomach at the thought, Rukia drunk her tea and chased it down with a few sweet treats that her brother had also placed on the tray before making her way to the bathing room. Slipping into the hot water, she felt instant relief. They were lucky enough to have a natural spring close by so often following a heat the servants would draw her bath and add water directly from the healing springs, chasing away the last traces of tenderness and the last aches of her muscles from contorting her body to reach all the right places. Rukia frowned as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the stony edge of the tub. She had often wondered what it would be like to spend her heat with a partner, she'd read that it was meant to make the whole ordeal easier and much more enjoyable.

A picture of Captain Hitsugaya flashed in her mind once again, remnants of an earlier fantasy and Rukia quickly splashed her face with water to chase the image away. _It was biology talking_, she told herself as she opened her eyes and gazed down into the crystal-clear water_. It was just biology._

With that mantra ringing in her head, she washed quickly and dressed in her standard uniform, pulling her Lieutenant patch up over her arm. As soon as she left her room and entered the dining area, she could _feel _Byakuya's disapproving glance.

'You could postpone the test to a day you are more rested,' he said as soon as she sat down to eat.

'I'm plenty rested,' Rukia said, reaching out with her chopsticks and taking one of the eggrolls and popping it in her mouth.

'You know that's not what I meant,' she could hear the scowl in his voice without having to look at his face.

'I feel good, there's no point in delaying it, the Head Captain has scheduled it for today and I don't want to waste his time when I feel as ready today as I would any other day.' Rukia was surprised at how firm her voice sounded and as she glanced up to meet her brother's eyes, he held her gaze. Byakuya's icy orbs considered her before he sighed, a waiver of defeat crossing his brow.

'Very well.'

The rest of the meal passed with usual chat, conversation turned to politics as they discussed where each of their squads were with repairs and orders. Rukia could feel the restless feeling in her limbs as the thought of her upcoming test lingered just out of reach in the back of her mind. As soon as it was considered polite enough to excuse herself, she did so, heading to her own division and the office she now had to endure alone.

Rukia debated on her journey about stopping off to see Lieutenant Matsumoto and Captain Hitsugaya to inform them she was fine and appreciated their well-wishes, but the scene's that had gotten her though her heat kept playing over in her head and with rising heat in her cheeks she wasn't quite sure if she were ready to face Squad Ten just yet.

'I'll save it for another time,' she muttered under her breath as she made her way to her division. There was still a lot of paperwork left to do and she could use that as a distraction while the time before her test ticked away.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki,' fourth seat Daiki Nakamura caught up with her. Rukia smiled up at the taller man, his dark hair just brushing the top of his green eyes.

'Please don't tell me we have more dead bodies?' Rukia said, working to try and keep the emotion from her voice, 'I need some good news right now.'

'No more bodies yet Lieutenant,' he said with a soft smile, holding a scroll out for her, 'just another summon from Head Captain.'

'How do they always manage to make it into your hands?' Rukia asked with a soft smile, taking the scroll from his fingers and watching as his face crinkled, reminding her firmly of Kaien.

'Because I am always working the early bird shifts,' he stretched his long arms out as he said it and Rukia laughed. It didn't last long, it was a one breath chuckle but the weight that it managed to eliminate from her shoulders was exactly what she needed. Rukia pulled the scroll open as Daiki turned to take his leave Rukia read the words in the Head Captains writing with a knot of nerves in her stomach.

The time for her Captaincy test had changed.

"**Dear Rukia, **

**I hope this catches you in time, the time for your Captaincy test has been rescheduled for 1pm, we have an opponent ready for this time and enough witnesses to sign off. As you can imagine it is difficult just now to get the time for enough of us to be gathered. **

**If there's any issue, send word as soon as possible. **

**Looking forward to seeing you, **

**Head Captain Kyōraku****"**

Rukia swallowed and placed the scroll inside her uniform pocket, looking at the time on a clock of a nearby building. She'd have to leave straight away to get there on time.

Without hesitation her feet started to move and she took deep breaths. The anxious feeling in her stomach seemed to ease off quickly, to be replaced with a focused numbness. At least this way she wouldn't be dwelling on the thought all day, she could go and put everything into this match and know earlier if she'd passed it or not.

Rukia reflected on his written word, wondering who would be gathered as witnesses, generally for a Captaincy test there had to be a minimum of five Captains and Lieutenants gathered, one had to be the Head Captain himself and the other the Captain of squad four. Rukia could already guess a few of the people there, her brother Byakuya would have received the summoning too and would be present, and Rukia was sure that Lieutenant Nanao would be beside her Captains side.

That just left her opponent who was usually to be another Captain or Lieutenant and another witness… perhaps her friend Renji would be one of them?

The thought made her smile and made the journey to the Head Captains meeting hall smoother, if she were to be battling against Renji then she would have a tactical advantage from having seem him fight so often. The same could be said in reverse but Renji had witnessed her fight far less than she had seen him.

Brimming with confidence and starting to feel a little excited at the prospect of a friendly brawl, Rukia opened the doors to the meeting hall with fierce determination, the hormones inside her thrumming and ready to defend like they'd been put on high alert. The young Kuchiki stepped forward and glanced around the room, the only people she could see were Head Captain Kyoraku and his Lieutenant Ise.

'Rukia,' the Head Captain boomed noisily at her, he held his arms open wide, his large pink floral kimono making him look like an enlarged flamingo with the gesture. 'Glad you could make it.'

'I just got the message and came as quickly as I could, Sir,' Rukia said bowing low.

'You made it in plenty of time, we're still awaiting some of the others,' as soon as the words left his mouth the door opened behind them and Rukia turned to see Captain Kotetsu walk in, her smile lighting up her face when she spotted Rukia and she beamed at her.

Immediately following her was Byakuya. Rukia grimaced at the impassive look on her brother's face, it generally meant that he was not in a happy mood. Rukia was left wondering where Renji was just for a short moment when two familiar figures walked into the hall behind Byakuya and Rukia's body went still.

Rangiku bounded into the hall, waving boisterously to the Head Captain who was a very close drinking buddy of hers, but walking just in front of her and looking as stoic as ever was Captain Hitsugaya.

Rukia's head swirled back around to face the Head Captain quickly, her cheeks flushing pink because no way could she be dealing with this right now.

Rukia hadn't been prepared to see him quite so soon and the images from her heat were hard to scrub from her memory. When she glanced up at the Head Captain she could see a dangerous grin on his face and she scowled.

Had he planned this? Had he known? Surely not… there's no way… Rukia's eyes flitted across to Captain Kotetsu who was now deep in conversation with Rangiku Matsumoto.

Would the Head Captain know who his Alpha Captains were? Would they discuss that? Rukia did know that Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Ukitake had been close… did that mean he was close to Captain Kyoraku too? The thought was enough to make her head swirl and she needed to remain focused right now.

'We are gathered,' the Head Captain started, 'for Lieutenant Kuchiki's, Captaincy test.'

Rukia glanced back up at the Beta. Kyoraku had risen from his seat and had started to make his way down the stairs.

'In the presence of five witnesses of the Gotei Thirteen, all of whom are ranked Lieutenant or higher, Rukia Kuchiki will complete her second task of the test. As per tradition her opponent will also be a member of the Gotei Thirteen.'

Rukia glanced over to spot another soldier in the corner of the room, scribbling the words of the Head Captain frantically onto a bit of paper. He didn't wear the standard uniform of a Shinigami meaning he was likely a soldier who worked for the overall soul society rather than just the military forces.

'Witnesses are myself, Head Captain Kyoraku, Lieutenant of squad one, Nanao Ise, Captain of squad six Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of squad four, Isane Kotetsu and Lieutenant of squad ten, Rangiku Matsumoto.'

If Rangiku was a witness then that meant that her opponent was…

'Opponent to be Captain of squad ten, Toshiro Hitsugaya.'

Rukia closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath, counting the seconds as she breathed out, attempting to ground herself.

Kyoraku was now at the bottom of the stairs and was grinning like a cat who had all the cream and all the warm blankets in the world.

'I thought your combined icy spiritual pressure would make for an interesting display,' he whispered as he walked passed her and Rukia groaned internally because that had to be bullshit. They wouldn't be allowed to use their shikai or bankai during this, it wasn't meant to be a fight to the death it was an old school tactical battle of swords and kido.

Kyoraku recited these rules for the room at large and Rukia now hard to turn around to keep him in her gaze, which now meant she was also facing the direction of Captain Hitsugaya. The squad ten Captain looked cool, his eyes closed over but it was very clear he was listening intently. His arms were folded across his chest and Hyorinmaru perched upon his back dutifully.

'Are you ready?' Rukia could practically hear the excitement in Kyoraku's voice. At his command, Captain Hitsugaya stepped forward, his eyes opening and his hand reaching up to pull Hyorinmaru from the sheath on his back.

Mirroring him Rukia pulled Sode no Shirayuki from her sheath and swallowed hard. The moment those harsh teal irises met her own she felt her body shiver. A reminder of what had gotten her through her heat seemed to spread through her, the contrast to the situation they were currently in messing with her head and her distraction was the second that Captain Hitsugaya needed to get an edge.

His flash step was so quick she barely registered it in time to bring her sword up to deflect his blow. It seemed he would not be holding back on her, the force behind the connecting blades echoed around the room and the power that seemed to spill from him had the temperature plummeting fast. Rukia had never faced off against another ice wielding soul reaper this way before, and from their proximity his scent of winter jasmine engulfed and suffocated her.

Rukia had never realised just how thick and black his eyelashes were before.

She didn't need to hear her brother's words to know he was screaming at her in his head to focus. Captain Hitsugaya already had the upper hand and they'd only just started. This match wasn't meant to last long, just long enough to prove to the witnesses that she had the skill to go head to head with the best, but she couldn't do that if she was constantly on the defensive. Hyorinmaru pulled away from her and swung back around for another attack, this time dragging the peppermint scent of his master. Rukia noted that this was likely the harsher Alpha part of his scent, the scent that would pull through more strongly when he was tapping into the more Alpha part of his body… such as launching an aggressive attack.

Rukia yanked her head back just in time as the tip of his blade sliced through a few strands of hair but whether it was from her head or eyebrows she wasn't sure. Flipping back, her sword in one hand and her other touching the ground as she moved out of the way of his next attack, the fight continued. Rukia spent far too much time blocking, trying to dodge his proximity, trying to repel the thoughts from the last 24 hours, the fight continued like this longer than she'd have liked until she finally caught sight of his face.

The expression he wore did not seem to match his actions at all. Rukia had spent very little time with Captain Hitsugaya in the Seireitei, but she had spent more than enough time with him in the world of the living, following his orders. Rukia had seen Toshiro mad, she'd seem him try to cause harm and when he was in battle mode and this facial expression was different.

There was a frown etched across his face, not one of concentration but one of curiosity, the slight downward tick of his mouth different to his usual combative scowl. If Rukia didn't know any better she'd think he was sizing her up more than actually trying to spar her.

Like he genuinely didn't think she was good enough to be a real contender against him.

That thought, lit a fire inside her.

Time seemed to speed back up all of a sudden and Rukia swung into action. Whipping her foot around she caught the underside of Captain Hitsugaya's foot, his teal eyes widening for a fraction before he managed to corrected his stance without falling to the ground. The split second was what Rukia needed to bring her blade around in a clean swoop and he swung Hyorinmaru around his back to block her blow from behind.

Rukia was not naive enough to believe such a simple attack would catch him off guard, but it did allow her to slip in close to him which did.

White eyebrows raised, almost shooting comically up into his hairline, his nostrils flared like he could smell something on her and then Rukia _moved. _She moved like she'd been taught too while training with her brother.

When Alpha's and Beta's fought, they all fought with a similar kind of style, pumping their hormones into powerful attacks that were designed to daze and disorientate their opponents. When Byakuya had first informed her of this, Rukia hadn't believed him, but then she'd seen it… Ichigo… Kenpatchi… Renji… the Arrancar… they all fought with this similar style.

Byakuya had worked for decades to perfect a style that was unlike an Alpha at all, relying on the unique beauty and grace of his shikai and bankai to achieve this. When it came time for him to help Rukia train, he started to learn that she could move in a way that was unlike the harsh blows of the other secondary genders.

And Sode no Shirayuki could move with her, like the two were dancing. When Captain Hitsugaya recovered enough to swing his blade back around his front and toward her exposed chest, instead of deflecting the blow which he'd likely been expecting, she used the pockets of icy cold air he'd issued to leap up. The movement was so subtle and quick that he didn't see it coming until the tip of her toe was perched delicately on his blade.

The blade stayed in the air, where her chest had been just moments before and Rukia wasn't leaning her weight on the surface, she was using the cold temperature of the room, the surfaces created from different temperatures in the air to keep herself suspended and slowly Captain Hitsugaya's eyes flew up to hers in disbelief.

The look would have been funny, if she were not angry at his complete lack of preparation for her being a worthy opponent. Rukia found it almost insulting how easily she had caught him off guard. She'd managed to do this despite him not knowing she was an Omega, instead he must have been judging their fighting outcome on the idea that she was a woman and a lower ranked officer than himself, or that he just held his own fighting style with such high regard.

Whatever the reason, Rukia was going to finish this fast. She pressed down on the icy air flowing from his blade and flipped over his head, keeping him in view and spotting her landing. Captain Hitsugaya's teal eyes were following her movement, wide with shock and his pale pink lips parted a second before her blade swiped through the air.

There was a beat while Rukia landed elegantly on the ground, barely making any noise, then the stench of iron, water and tearing fabric infiltrated her senses and cut through the alluring cedar and peppermint tones. Haori shredded and a deep gash up his back, Captain Hitsugaya grunted in pain, Hyorinmaru swung around and he went on the defensive instinctively but it was too late.

Rukia had already cut him which meant the match was over.

'I think that's all we need,' the Head Captains voice waivered and Rukia turned to see the shocked faces in the room. Byakuya looked passively proud, everyone else looked dumbfounded, Rangiku especially but she recovered enough to give Rukia a blinding smile. The only person who didn't look shocked by this outcome at all was the Head Captain, in fact he looked positively gleeful, his eyes twinkling at her in a way that said he'd anticipated this outcome.

Rukia huffed and sheathed Sode no Shirayuki back at her side, refusing to look at Captain Hitsugaya as Captain Kotetsu stepped forward to see about the wound on his back. Rukia didn't feel the need to apologise, he'd been the one to nominate himself for this sparring match and knew what he'd signed up for. Besides to apologise to him would mean turning to look at him and Rukia just wanted to get as far away as she possibly could in that moment.

'Congratulations Rukia,' Captain Kyoraku said, 'you've passed the second part of your Captaincy test.'

Rukia could sense the eyes of everyone on the hall on her, but most importantly she could feel the intense teal gaze of Captain Hitsugaya burning into the back of her head as she listened to the instructions of what came next.

The last part on her journey to Captaincy was the part she felt most prepared for, that was the exam. A Captain should understand how the Seireitei operated, what it's most important historical lessons were and the chain of command. Byakuya had always ensured that Rukia understood all this, especially when she became Lieutenant and every now and again while training and sparring he'd throw random questions at her, getting her to use her mind while her body worked.

Rukia bowed low, finger tips of her hands gracing each other in her lap as was traditional for a woman and thanked the Head Captain before turning to depart from the hall. As she walked her brother was at her side, escorting her out and Rukia kept her eyes ahead, not once glancing back to Captain Hitsugaya despite Rangiku's calls of her name.

'You did well,' Byakuya's voice said as they made their way slowly away from the first division.

'Thank you Onii-sama,' Rukia said formally. She could hear the pride in his voice as he spoke and wondered if his previous reservations had been shattered or if they still lingered under the surface masked for a moment by his pride.

Byakuya hummed, but Rukia couldn't help wonder if there was more he wasn't saying. It felt like there was something unspoken tingling the air between them. The thought bothered her as they walked a few more blocks and as soon as the barracks were out of sight she decided to address it.

'Onii-sama? Is there something you wish to say?' she asked it carefully, gently, trying to be as respectful as she could and not making the instruction sound like a reprimand. Rukia was aware that all day she'd pushed her boundaries of her rank and position with him and it had likely only been tolerated because of her heat.

'It always surprises me how you can tell,' the amusement was evident in his voice but even Rukia could understand an unspoken question when she heard it.

'The subtle change in your scent, I wasn't sure so thought I should ask,' was her response.

Byakuya continued to walk with her in silence for a little while and Rukia resisted the urge to press him again. Patience was not a strong point of hers but it was expected of the noble Kuchiki household.

'It is nothing,' came the infuriating response and Rukia bit the inside of her cheek to stop an exasperated sigh escaping her lips. When she was sure her voice would not give away how irritated she was with the limited response she replied.

'Are you sure Onii-sama?'

'I had put Renji's name forward to be your sparring partner, I was just wondering why it ended up being Captain Hitsugaya…'

Here it came, the question.

'Had you asked him to do it?'

'No,' Rukia barely resisted cutting over the top of his question, she turned to him with wide eyes and her eyebrows raised, 'no Onii-sama, I was just as surprised as you to see both him and Rangiku there.'

'Lieutenant Matsumoto,' Byakuya corrected her instantly, his steely grey eyes searching her face for a moment before he seemed to accept her answer.

'Very well,' he nodded his head, 'I must make my way back to squad six, we still have fallen unaccounted for.'

Rukia winced at the thought and nodded, her division wasn't in much of a better place. They parted with a promise to meet for dinner in the evening, where Byakuya would have some books for her to revisit and study.

Feeling like a weight had been lifted from her chest and able to put the pressure of her Captaincy test behind her for the time being Rukia made her way toward her own division. Following the path with the light of the sun glaring heavily down in front of her, she used the rays to blind her to the worst of the devastation as she walked.

With the thrum of adrenaline now behind her, the emotions were starting to pile back and without her brothers company to distract her she felt like giving back into them. Rukia focused on the question he'd asked as a new distraction, why had Renji not been the one to spar her? Perhaps Shunsui had wanted to test her skills against an Alpha? It would make sense that he'd know Captain Hitsguaya's secondary gender, so maybe it was a test.

An Omega Lieutenant against an Alpha Captain, in most eyes it wouldn't have seemed a fair fight. A smirk graced her lips as she thought about it, likely it had indeed been a test and she could hardly see Kenpatchi agreeing to such a nonsense idea.

Rukia had not used flash step once on her walk back as she pondered the Head Captains choices and if he'd pull any kind of similar stunts in her historical examination. Thus it only surprised her for a second when the scent of coppery iron mixed with cedar tingled her nose as she stood outside her office.

Captain Hitsugaya was here.

Pretending not to notice as she pushed open the door and let her eyebrows naturally raise in curiosity when she caught sight of him. After all, a Beta, would not have been able to smell him so easily.

He was stoic, the back of haori shredded but very little blood clung to the white fabric. His back was to her and he seemed to be taking in the dusty office space.

Alpha's had a slightly more keen sense of smell than Beta's so it was likely that he too could smell what was left of Captain Ukitake from the space. Rukia suddenly felt foolish for not having properly cleaned and tided the office up and hoped he'd take it as a sentimental move rather than an urge to preserve Ukitakes scent.

'Captain Hitsugaya,' Rukia greeted formally.

'Lieutenant,' his reply came. His back was still too her and she could smell, beyond the scent of blood, a dizzying array of emotions infiltrating the usually frosty scent.

'May I help you Captain?' she asked, working hard to keep her voice steady. Truth was she didn't want him here, for a lot of different reasons, his voice and face were a distraction to her right now but his scent of bloodied fabric was dulling the notes of Ukitake's deteriorating aura.

'You've not cleaned the office,' the hard edge to his voice would have sounded like a reprimand if Rukia couldn't smell the little bout of relief as he spoke.

'No,' she hesitated, wanting to quickly lie to try and cover up the real reason by stating she'd not had the time but Captain Hitsugaya was astute, often described as one of the greatest minds in the Seireitei. She was sure that he'd seen through that lie in a second. 'I wanted to preserve his memory, I wasn't ready for it to go yet.'

Rukia decided half-truth would be her best option.

He seemed to take it with a nod of his head, not asking anymore questions she allowed herself to relax as she made her way around the desk and to the chair. If he wanted to stand silently in the room of his old friend then she wasn't going to stop him, he clearly had peace he still had to make with the fact his friend was gone.

'Your fighting today,' the Captain said, his voice a lot lower and lot closer to the voice that had been infiltrating her dreams over the last 24 hours causing her to shiver. 'It was impressive.'

'It wouldn't have been,' Rukia bit back without looking at him, 'if you'd not underestimated your opponent.'

The words flew from her mouth before she could stop them. In her fantasies they'd been teasing each other endlessly, the jibes helping her feel less awkward about the dreams that carried her through orgasm after orgasm. Rukia started, her eyes shooting up to finally make eye contact with him for the first time since she'd entered the office space.

His eyebrows were raised in shock, his mouth closing quickly and a slight tick of his cheek the only reaction she saw before she quickly apologised.

'Forgive me, that was rude I just-'

He put a hand up to stop her and Rukia quickly stopped talking, not because he was an Alpha giving a command but because he was her superior.

'You're right,' he said and Rukia felt her own face slacken with shock, 'except that I did not underestimate you, I over-estimated my ability to read and counter your moves. Regardless though either outcome would have left me worse off in a fight with a different opponent, you did not cut me as deeply as others would have given my error.'

Rukia stared at him, not only because he was beautiful to look at but because she had never ever once heard him admit he was wrong

'Regardless I have never seen someone move like that in battle,' the Captain's eyes skirted over her lithe form and Rukia felt herself flush at the scrutinizing gaze. Those intense teal irises held a power all their own that she could physically feel his gaze creeping along her skin.

'Byakuya trained me,' Rukia mumbled, feeling very shy under his gaze and quickly looking back down at the dust trails along her desk.

'Byakuya didn't teach you to use the cooling temperature to move through the air,' he corrected, 'that power could only reside with someone who has an ice elemental zanpakuto. It's actually very clever and I've never seen it done before.'

Rukia snuck a glance at him, he was considering her, his fingers lightly touching his chin and his index finger curling up toward his lips as he contemplated. The movement just drew her eyes to his pale lips and she quickly had to look away again. It wasn't becoming of her to feel so much desire toward a man she barely knew.

'I wanted to ask you to train with me, if you're feeling better?'

Rukia froze, her heart doing strange erratic things in her chest. A whole load of emotions seemed to crash over her at the request, in one hand it was a massive honour to be asked to train with a Captain and it was likely that he could teach her things about her ice abilities that she never knew existed given their elemental connection. On the other hand, being close to him, being close to an Alpha that was not a member of her family would cause her all kinds of issues. She'd been able to maintain her cool today and keep a level head because she'd just come through a heat, as the months wore on and she came closer to her next cycle, everything about him would become a distraction. His scent, his voice, his white hair, his status, how he moved, how he breathed, how he existed.

There was even a risk that spending that much time around an Alpha whose scent she knew she found attractive, could prompt an earlier heath cycle which would be a disaster. Rukia seemed to be torn in two parts at the request… her Bankai had been difficult to obtain and hard to control, especially as it also threatened her life and those around her. Training with him could help her master it, so she'd never need to fear it.

But if she went into a heat cycle close to him… it would be likely he wouldn't be able to control himself and putting the Captain in that situation wasn't fair, he was as much at risk of his own hormones as she was to her heat cycles. As she contemplated, images bubbled in the back of her mind, how he'd curled around her during her last heat, how he'd moved with her, how he'd smelled and even though it was all fantasy, she couldn't help but wish to make it a reality…

The logical side started to win out though, exposing him to her could cause him to go into a rut even if he weren't sure why. Ruts were the Alpha equivalent to a heat cycle, but unlike an Omega they weren't as incapacitated. A rut heightened their testosterone and drove them to be more aggressive, Rukia had only ever scented it happening to her brother when a big battle was looming and sometimes he'd often fall into one in a response to protect her.

It wouldn't be fair… if she trained with him, she'd have to tell him and likely Rangiku too, the less people who knew the safer she'd be.

'Lieutenant?' Captain Hitsugaya's voice questioned, he seemed to be studying her reaction while he waited rather patiently for her answer. His pale brows furrowed and his large eyes sweeping across her face in a way that made her feel a little exposed. Clearing her throat Rukia flushed, realising she'd taken quite a while to consider his proposal and opened her mouth to deny the request when there was a knock at her door.

'Come in,' Rukia responded to the knock promptly, glad for the distraction as she took a moment to decide how to politely reject the Captain's offer.

A very attractive woman entered, beaming first at Rukia then at Captain Hitsugaya. She had long dark purple coloured hair and bright green eyes. Standing just about the same height as the Captain as she bowed politely and entered the office.

'Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto sent me to bring this to you.' She held out her arms and he reached out taking the new haori from her. Rukia couldn't help notice the way his hands touched hers as he removed it from her grasp and the way the woman beamed at him for it. A sharp stab of something ugly seemed to shiver down Rukia's spine for a split second before she caught his scent.

Perhaps involuntarily his cedar notes had heightened, likely in response to the close proximity to the lowly ranked Beta that Rukia now wished had never come into her office.

'Thank you Sakura,' the Captain responded in the same deep tone that caused a shiver down Rukia's spine.

Who the fuck named their child after the cherry blossom? And was he on first name basis with her? Why?

Without waiting, he pulled his shredded haori off, Sakura's eyes watching greedily as the skin below his shihakusho flashed for a moment, his untouched scent glands screaming that he was an Alpha without a mate. None the wiser to the two women's stares he folded the haori and placed it on the back of the couch as he pulled the new one on.

'You're welcome Captain,' Sakura said in a voice that was as sweet as sugar, causing the Captain's eyebrows to raise a fraction in her direction. Seeming to catch herself she offered him a sexy smile before bowing and backing out the room.

He watched her go before turning back to Rukia, having a split second before their eyes met Rukia fixed an impassive look on her face and tried to clear her mind from whatever jealous thoughts had been tearing through it. Really, she had no claim to him, just because she had spent one heat cycle imaging him fucking her into oblivion did not give her ownership especially when he remained so woefully ignorant to the whole ordeal.

'Lieutenant?' he questioned again, this time his voice had a stab of impatience behind it and Rukia realised she'd kept him waiting long enough for an answer.

'Yes,' the word left her mouth before she could stop herself. The answer came so quickly and so unchecked that Rukia almost started in surprise at the sound of her own voice.

She was about to correct herself but his face morphed, the little frown and lines of confusion contorting into something much more attractive. Lips twitching up into an almost smile, and lines smoothing to give him a younger appearance, he nodded his head.

'Great, well we can get started in a few days' time, how does Thursday morning sound?' his voice had changed again, shifted in its subtle decibels and he sounded almost… excited?

'That's fine,' Rukia nodded, her hand tightening on the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki who seemed to be thrumming with laughter somewhere in the back of her mind.

Without another word, Captain Hitsugaya nodded approvingly and swept from the room, taking his beautiful cedar and peppermint scent with him… but leaving behind the shredded haori he'd worn in battle and strangely… Rukia was okay with this.

Walking over to the garment she picked it up and brought it back to the desk where she'd store it away in a drawer until she could sneak it home, but not before indulging in one of her lesser sins. Holding the white fabric in her hands she pressed it against her nose and breathed deeply… it was pathetic the affect it had on her. The cedar, winter jasmine and peppermint combination burst from the woven material and she clenched her jaws to stop her actually moaning into the fabric.

It was clearly a haori he'd worn while training… or his scent had just infused so much into the material in the short time of their little spar, whatever it was the scent was an absolute gift and one Rukia knew she'd not be able to pass up. Quickly stowing it away in case he came back for it, Rukia had a moment of clarity once the scent was locked away and with a groan let her head fall down against the wood of the desk.

How on Earth was she going to explain this to her brother?

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**Please review, comment etc etc :D I love reading them!**


	4. Hot Springs

**Another massive thanks to always-this-serious, FafaCute, Anon & Marianna for your reviews and comments on last chapter!**

**FafaCute: LOL I think you're right, Byakuya probably would name his child that x'D **

**Anon: Don't worry, just Rukia being well jel ;) **  
**Marianna: Thank you so much! And I know what you mean, I really really want the anime to come back too but keep having my hopes dashed. It lives on through fan fiction though and if you love this pairing you're going to love the other one we're working on... a Winter Olympic AU with Tosh as a Snowboarder and Rukia as a figure skater :D **

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Byakuya Kuchiki was an impossible man to please. Rukia often wondered how her sister had done it. Granted, her sister had other methods at her disposal, being his wife and all but those options were not available to Rukia and thus he was beyond impossible.

'What do you mean you're to be _training _with him?'

Rukia winced at her brother's tone. Her hand fisted her shihakusho and she barely resisted placing a hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto to help ground her. The Alpha aura radiating off her brothers angry stance was causing involuntary reactions.

Omegas didn't like incurring the wrath of an Alpha.

Swallowing down the urge to whine at him, Rukia took a deep breath through her mouth, not allowing another second of his irritated scent to cross her nose.

'He can show me what my ice powers can really do, he's a Captain level soul reaper with the same elemental ice capabilities as I,' Rukia hesitated, her eyes glancing up to meet the steely grey of her brothers who seemed to relent a little under her pleading gaze. 'I couldn't pass up such an opportunity.'

'I understand,' he said after a moment but his tone and stance didn't appear like he understood. Byakuya brought a hand up to rub gently at his temples and fixed Rukia with a look she'd never been given before, almost like he was trying to look _through _her rather than at her.

Rukia was about to ask what the look was for, opening her mouth and gathering her courage when he spoke.

'You're dismissed,' he said and she shut her mouth. Rukia tethered on the edge of asking, she wanted to ask more than anything. Her nature and curiosity was linked with this need to constantly please other people and to ensure they weren't disappointed in her.

But she knew better than to question her brother once she'd been dismissed. Perhaps a post-heat Rukia would have had the balls to ask, but those balls did not exist where she was in her cycle just now. With a low bow she turned to leave, her hand subconsciously grabbing her hilt to help stabilise her fluctuating emotions.

'And Rukia,' Byakuya's voice called, she paused and turned back to him. That seem steely gaze was scrutinising her, 'you're to be back before dark every night after your training sessions to spend the night with me. No arguments, do I make myself clear?'

Rukia blinked at the odd request… so she wasn't allowed to return to her own quarters which were closer to Squad 10? How strange… perhaps her brother wished to check that Captain Hitsugaya wasn't hurting or injuring her?

With a nod and another bow, Rukia swept from the room.

She didn't have a chance to dwell too long on her brother's odd behaviour for as soon as her division was in sight she knew something was wrong. Rukia's ears perked to the raised voice of Daiki Nakamura, her fourth seat. He was the highest seated living member of the squad now, other than herself, and a raised voice was never for something good.

'Don't remove that column, it's unstable and could fall, where are the kido experts?' his orders carried to Rukia and she diverted her route away from the direction to her office. Leaping from one badly repaired roof to another, she soon stood over the scene. Daiki stood tall above the others, his orders and presence making it obvious he was the highest ranked member in charge despite his uniform blending in with everyone else's.

There was half a building that had been blown in, the rubble partly cleared and the rest that had to be removed was at the base of a large circular column that looked on the verge of collapsing. Rukia stood, prepared to step in at any second, she was adequate enough with the kind of kido needed to keep that section of the building in place, but part of her was telling her to observe how Daiki handled the situation.

'Sir, Squad Four have been contacted, they're sending as many as they can but their numbers were also greatly reduced sir, they are also spread very thin across the whole Seireitei.' Rukia recognised the high decibels of one of her other female officers, Maki Otsuka who was the twelfth seated officer, though that would likely change, given that the tenth and ninth seated officers were still missing.

Daiki sighed, his hand running through his dark hair as he seemed to contemplate his options.

'We'll have to try and perform healing kido as best we can until they get here, do we have any supplies we could use in the interim?' he asked her. Maki seemed to consider only for a second before she straightened up.

'Yes, I saw some in the women's healing springs, they still seemed to be intact, Sir.'

'Good, go and collect them, I'll try and maintain the situation here until we can make contact with Lieutenant Kuchiki,' he glanced back over at the decimated building and Rukia followed his gaze as Maki took a few officers away to collect supplies.

She felt her heart fall out through the pit of her stomach.

What she hadn't seen before was the tangled mass of black robes hidden beneath the rubble that was slowly and carefully being worked away. Rukia stood for a second longer, trying to ground herself, a distressed Omega didn't make any situation better and what her Division needed right now was their Lieutenant not a hormonal little girl.

Rukia straightened up to her full height and dropped down onto the scene. A number of officers turned in her direction, their faces instantly clearing from the grave ghastly grey to hope at the mere sight of her arrival.

Like the arrival of a Lieutenant could somehow revive their broken colleagues.

'Lieutenant,' Daiki instantly bowed down on his knees, a few of the surrounding officers who were able to, doing the same.

'Well done Daiki, thank you,' she said, her eyes assessing the situation more fully and understanding what he'd meant about the column of the building, 'please keep charge, I can hold off the column alone but my skills are not in healing kido as yours and many others are.'

Daiki seemed taken aback by being left in charge of the situation, but Rukia realised that instruction suited him and within seconds he was back to giving orders. Rukia made her way around the bricks that had been cleared and glanced up at the section of building that was teetering despite her soldier's best attempts at keeping it in place.

'Bakudo number fifty-two, jikan no reitoko,' Rukia chanted, her kido exploding out of her finger tips as she focused her spiritual pressure in the direction of the mass. Within a second the entire building was coated in a thin barrier, stopping the bricks from toppling and the troops below it relaxed.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki, what are your orders?' one of them turned to her and asked, clearly understanding there was no need for the lower ranked soldiers to stay and try and keep the tower in place now that she had it under control.

'Go and aid Daiki, he's in charge of the clean-up and if anyone knows any healing kido then all help will be appreciated.' She gave her command and watched as they all fled to Daiki's side, ready to assist.

Rukia continued to observe from a distance as they began to pull the bodies out. Her kido was stronger than any of her other officers for the strength of the kido pulled directly from one's own reiryoku. She was more useful here than trying to heal the other bodies they were pulling free of the rubble.

The thought occurred to her that once she was made Captain, she'd be looking for a new Lieutenant and Daiki had achieved his shikai even if it were just a recent discovery. This was almost a trial for him, and Rukia continued to observe how he was directing the others, but more importantly the hope he was giving them.

Hope was key for squad thirteen, it was what their insignia represented and they tried to carry it in everything they did. Daiki never once lost his cool, and smiled at every opportunity and told the lower members that it was going to be okay, despite the fact he didn't know for sure. He had an air of someone who made others feel safe and after two hours the members from squad four rushed onto the scene and took over healing duties.

'What's the final report?' Rukia asked as Daiki finally walked back over in her direction.

'Ten confirmed dead, three in critical and another building that needs to be repaired,' he glanced up at where she was holding the tower. 'Can you hold it in place for me Lieutenant Kuchiki?'

'Of course,' she nodded her head and he leapt up into the air. Understanding what he was doing Rukia pulled her barrier back from one of the windows and he slipped inside. It was a tense twenty minutes and eventually he returned back to the same window, with another body limp in his arms. The body was that of a boy who looked barely old enough to even be a member of the thirteen court guard squad. The image brought back a memory of Rukia's friends who had ran around the streets with her as children and she bit her tongue to stop from making a noise as Daiki brought him down.

'Is he still alive?' Rukia asked, but the look that Daiki gave her, told her instantly that he wasn't. Rukia let her eyes wander over his ghostly face, his lips blue and no flush of living colour in his cheeks.

'Lieutenant, did you want me to cancel your meeting with Captain Hitsugaya?' Maki asked tentatively.

Rukia started, she'd forgotten that she was meant to be having her first training session with him, but she couldn't leave her squad in such a situation.

'You should go,' Daiki said and Rukia looked at him. His eyes were full of deep understanding, like he knew more than he was letting on, 'we have everything here under control and we need you to keep training to become a Captain, Lieutenant. We've lost so much already.'

'It can wait,' she said firmly, 'I can stay here and repair, do the paperwork for the fallen…'

'With all the respect in the world Lieutenant, the paperwork will still be here when you come back, and the squad are already setting about the repairs,' he pointed to the lower ranked officers who were starting the rebuilding. Daiki had kindly left out the reminder that these were the officers who had done all the repairs for almost every other war before, so were much better qualified at it than she was.

Rukia sighed, checked to make sure they had everything under control before dropping her kido barrier.

'Very well,' she nodded her head but stepped up beside Daiki. He understood without the need for words that she wanted to witness the dead soldiers and took her over in their direction. As they approached, some of the lower ranked soldiers quickly uncovered the faces of each one who had been pronounced dead.

Rukia gazed at their ghostly and bloodied faces, committing them to memory, ensuring she'd never forget them. Then turned her attention to the three who were in critical and were about to be taken to squad four for emergency treatment. She took a mental note of their details for her paperwork later and with a bit more coaxing from Daiki and Maki she finally took her leave.

Rukia's mind was racing when she arrived at the tenth division, but the perfect distraction appeared in the form of Rangiku who answered the door to the office with a large smile plastered on her face.

'Rukia~' she sung happily, reaching down and hugging her, while keeping her nails free of the embrace.

'Hello Rangiku,' she mumbled into the woman's uniform, taking deep breaths of her calming motherly scent to help ground her. 'Have you painted your nails?' Rukia asked, looking to continue the conversation as the stench of nail polish punctured the air.

'Yes,' she peeled back away from Rukia and waved her fingers in front of the nobles' eyes, 'I decided that a deadly purple would be perfect for watching you two spar.'

'You're going to be watching?' Rukia felt her throat close at the idea of how many people would potentially be watching their spar. She wasn't feeling as confident as she had been the last time they'd fought.

'No, she has work to be doing,' his voice caused Rukia to inhale sharply. The tone authoritative and the effect on her was immediate. Rukia could feel warmth pooling in her stomach at the same time a contradictory feeling of butterflies beating against the inside of her chest.

'Aww Captain you're no fun,' Rangiku pouted turning as Captain Hitsugaya stood behind her, his arms patiently folded into the opposite sleeves of his haori. He fixed her with an icy glare before turning softer eyes to Rukia.

'I'm glad you decided to come,' he said, his voice losing the scolding edge he'd just used on Rangiku and it _did _things to her.

'Did you not believe I would come?' she asked, a twitch of his lips the only indication that he wasn't angry with her boldness. Rukia realised that if Rangiku never pissed him off then it was likely that nothing Rukia would do would ever come close.

'I assumed maybe you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of my division,' he stepped outside the office and the two women fell into step behind him as he led the way to wherever they were to be sparring.

'Is your whole division going to be watching?' Rukia tried to make the comment light, like this factor didn't bother her in the slightest but the quiver in her voice gave her away. Captain Histugaya turned his head slightly to keep her in his peripheral vision. He seemed to contemplate his response as if trying to work something out before he responded.

'No, they're still making repairs and taking care of the injured,' he finally said after measuring his response.

Rukia visibly relaxed at this and though the Captain chose to ignore it, Rangiku unfortunately noticed.

'Why are you so tense, you kicked his ass before,' she sassed and Rukia instantly smelt the annoyance from the frosty Captain walking in front of them.

'Yes well,' she sighed, 'I have a feeling he was going easy on me.'

In truth Rukia didn't think that at all, but she was more distracted today and knew she would not be able to surprise him like she had before. There was also the fact that her hormones seemed to be working against her right now as opposed to in her favour.

Resisting the urge to try and get away from the looming match Rukia took the time to observe the damage done to the tenth division. While her own division was in a more crowded section of the Seireitei with almost no greenery around save for one or two areas, the tenth division was mirrored after the world of the living. The buildings had more space between them to walk, there were plenty of large open patches of forestry and rivers that had been left untouched.

Rukia recalled several reports stating that next to the third division, the tenth was one of the other least populated, with a high turnout of female soul reapers.

Rukia had always assumed it was the fair pay that had attracted women to the tenth but now glancing at the back of Captain Hitsugaya's head she had to wonder if it were something else?

'Here we are,' the Captains voice finally stated as he led them out into a forest clearing. Here it was hard to imagine the devastation they'd left behind and Rukia could see the marks in the ground and the surrounding trees from numerous blades, meaning that this was likely a popular sparring spot.

'It's beautiful,' Rukia smiled as she glanced around, the air already felt fresher here and they weren't that far away from the city.

'I have reserved this area for us, the squad knows that it will now be our private training grounds,' he stood across from them as Rangiku went to sit back against one of the trees.

Rukia could feel the nervous energy begin to pool in her stomach as she watched him reach up to unsheathe Hyorinmaru. The wrath of the dragon that lost was felt the moment the blade was removed from his back, the air around them became icy and his spiritual pressure prickled against her own.

It seemed there would be no speaking, they were just going to dive straight into the fight. With a shaking hand, Rukia pulled Sode No Shirayuki from her side and felt the familiar thrum of her own spiritual pressure ground her. Captain Hitsugaya didn't even hesitate, he crossed the grass in a heartbeat, his blade slamming into hers and the sound of the dragon vibrating around the forest. Hyorinmaru was not happy that his master had lost the last spar.

Rukia glared up into those frosty teal eyes, her gaze trying to figure out his next move. He spun, his blade sliding along her own before being swung around to catch her from the other side. The movement was a lot less forceful and lot more graceful than she'd been anticipating and thus she barely had time to duck and dodge the attack.

Slipping out of the way with flash step, Rukia went on the defensive again as the Captain continued his relentless attacks. The sound of their clashing blades sounded around the trees and Rukia was so distracted, so focused on him and blocking his attacks she didn't even realise that the river they were sparring beside had frozen completely over until she found herself at the edge of it.

His blade sliced the air where her arm had just been seconds before and Rukia leapt gracefully over the frozen river. The cold pockets of air that sat in the divot between the banks elevated her, giving her more height. Rukia caught sight of the Captains face and his mouth was peeled back in a smile, like this was what he'd been expecting. Using only his left hand, he curled his fist and Rukia felt the cool air pockets instantly vanish, her footing faulted and before she could even draw breath to summon her own spiritual pressure to replace the warming air, his blade was at her throat.

It all happened so quickly Rukia barely had time to react before he was lowering his blade. Across the river there was loud clapping, the air around them continuing to warm as it seemed the sun breached the clearing once more. Captain Hitsugaya stood back, any smug smile he may have held vanishing in an instant.

'You were distracted today,' he pointed out as he raised Hyorinmaru and put the dragon back inside his sheath.

'Yes,' Rukia sighed, she hated using it as an excuse because if this had been a real battle, she'd have been dead, but the fact was it had been hard to shake the faces of her dead comrades from her mind during their fight.

'That was amazing Rukia,' Rangiku continued clapping as she walked over toward them, her pink scarf draped like a shawl over her shoulders keeping her warm.

'No it wasn't,' the small ice wielder replied, 'it was sloppy and I was easily overpowered.' Rukia was angry with herself and she sheathed Sode No Shirayuki a bit more vigorously than she'd intended.

'What has got you so distracted?' the Captain asked, his voice dropping to that usual calming tone he seemed to save for more serious conversations.

'We found eleven more dead, just before I came here,' Rukia didn't have the heart to meet the eyes of either of them as she said it, instead her gaze was fixed on a branch of a silver birch tree in the distance.

'I'm really sorry to hear that,' and he sounded it too, his voice was nothing but full of empathy and she could feel a tightening at the back of her throat. Quickly blinking back the emotion before it had a chance to show on her face she turned to see he was watching her closely. Rangiku too looked a bit shaken by the news, the three of them stood in companionable silence, as if the ghostly figures of the fallen were walking through the trees and didn't wish to be disturbed.

After a few moments Rukia took a deep breath and nodded to the Captain.

'Controlling the air temperature was a good idea, it never even occurred to me you'd do something like that,' she said and Captain Hitsugaya offered her a soft smile. Rukia realised she'd never seen him smile properly, nor laugh other than these little moments where the corners of his mouth would twitch up. She wondered what he'd look like, what his laughter were to sound like if he ever did let go.

'I felt it was a good counter to your style, you don't seem to fight with power but with grace and movement, so I couldn't challenge you the same way I would a normal foe,' he brought his hand up to rub thoughtfully at his chin, a small furrow in his brows. While his eyes were diverted Rukia took a moment to appreciate the way his high cheekbones slid down shrunken cheeks to a pointed chin, the face of a man who was growing and changing too quickly for his body to properly fill out at the same time.

Perhaps she noticed her staring, for when Rukia glanced at Rangiku the woman had one hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow in her direction a smile softer than Rukia would like to see etching across her face. The entire look was a little too understanding.

'I'll just need to try harder next time,' Rukia said, pulling at the first possible thing she could to continue the conversation.

'It wasn't a fair fight today,' he nodded his head, his hand dropping back down by his side, 'you were rightfully distracted, you should have cancelled.'

'I did think about it, but my fourth seat wouldn't let me,' a fond smile spread over Rukia's face at the thought.

'Well, I look forward to sparring with you again next week,' Captain Hitsugaya nodded his head and turned towards Rangiku, 'we should return, you still have plenty of work to be getting on with.'

His voice had changed again, back to that tired and slightly annoyed tone he seemed to reserve only for his Lieutenant. Rukia pursed her lips as she watched the smile slip off Rangiku's face and the woman internally groaned.

'But Captain,' she whined.

Rukia decided that was her queue to leave as the two of them seemed to be on the verge of bickering. She wished them a pleasant day and made her way back to her division.

Three more bodies had been found while she'd been gone. Thankfully decomposing didn't work the same way in the Seireitei as it did in the world of the living. Unlike the world of the living with its bacteria and animals and biomes, the chemistry of the Seireitei worked with reiryoku and reiatsu. Over time the spiritual pressure of a body would begin to break down, but the process was not as gruesome as the world of the living, thus the bodies found still appeared to be only a couple of days old despite actually being buried under rubble for much longer.

When Rukia finally returned home that evening, she was emotionally exhausted, but that still did not discourage her brother from asking inappropriate questions.

'Do you desire Captain Hitsugaya?'

The clang of her chopsticks falling back down onto her plate rang nosily around the room in response. One of them rolled off the plate and fell onto the floor and she made a slow show of picking it up while her brain stuttered over a response. Rukia wanted to tell her brother that it was none of his business, he was being nosy, that she didn't desire him, but the words were just not flowing from her mouth.

'Rukia?' he pressed, his tone holding an edge that told her she had to tread lightly. Rukia rolled the little black carved stick between her fingers as she tried to sus out a diplomatic response.

'I do not know where that thought has come from Onii-Sama?' she prodded tentatively.

Byakuya fixed her with his steely gaze, clearly annoyed at being challenged on his choice of question without receiving a direct answer first.

'Of all the Alpha's in the Seireitei, why Captain Hitsugaya?' he asked a slightly different question and Rukia met his gaze, now that she was sure the red of her cheeks would not flare up and give her away.

So Byakuya knew that Captain Hitsugaya was an Alpha? It would seem that her brother had spent enough time with him to scent this.

'Captain Hitsugaya has offered to help me train, his reiatsu and mine are incredibly similar and I only thought he could teach me things that I have not worked out for myself yet.' Rukia worked to keep her tone calm, impassive and her gaze steady on her brothers.

Byakuya considered her words, the only indication he was processing them was a slight tick at the corner of his brow.

'I do not think it wise for you to spend so much time in the company of an Alpha.'

'I will only be training with him once a week, I will avoid anytime close to my cycle,' Rukia replied, 'please Onii-sama, today he has already shown me that he is a worthy sparring partner.'

Byakuya seemed to be having an internal battle, his fingers tightening on his own chopsticks for a moment before he lay them back down against the mat. Two pale fingers began to rub at his temples again and his eyes closed for a moment, giving Rukia rest bite from his scrutinizing gaze.

'I suppose,' he mumbled, more to himself than to her, 'if you're ever to come up against an Alpha opponent it is good to have practice against another that is not your brother.' He sighed and Rukia relaxed a little, sensing that he was trying to justify this in his own mind.

It was true, Rukia knew when she was sparring her brother that her life was never in any danger, that her brother would never ever do anything to really hurt her. But another Alpha that she didn't know, like Captain Hitsugaya, she had no idea how much damage he would cause her in battle while they trained. The uncertainty would cause her to be more alert, more on edge, just like a real battle would.

'Three weeks prior to your next heat cycle you're to stop training with him. Do I make myself clear?' her brother finally fixed his gaze back on hers, his brows furrowed and the bite to his voice informing her this was a command not up for negotiation.

'Yes Onii-sama,' Rukia nodded her head, her fingers below the table relaxing their hold on the fabric of her shihakusho.

The next few weeks seemed to pass by in a blur, while the Seireitei made great progress in clearing up the rubble and more bodies were uncovered, Rukia slept better at night knowing that many of the dead were now accounted for.

Her training with Captain Hitsugaya had taken an interesting turn, after their third sparring match, Rukia realised that she could distract him, not only by her movement but also by her spiritual pressure. There were elements to his reiryoku that was incredibly masculine and dominating, very Alpha. As she started to realise this, she became astute to these undertones and realised she could adjust her own to combat them. It set the Captain on edge.

On their fourth training match, Rukia decided to see how far she could go with it. This match was significantly longer than the previous matches, with Rukia being on the defensive for most of the battle. After putting up a couple of kido barriers to allow a chance to catch her breath, she rolled up her sleeves as he plunged his own spiritual pressure into each of the barriers shattering them. The confusion on his face was evident when he was once again given a clear path directly to her. The Captain approached tentatively, like he wasn't exactly sure what her reason for the delay had been. Rukia pulled her reiatsu tight around her, readying herself to finally go on the offensive, she knew now how to manipulate the softer parts of her reiryoku, though she'd never attacked him with it before. It was the strength she summoned when she tried to heal, it was the strength she called upon after her heat, it was the Omega part of her power that she had never ever tapped into during battle before.

When Rukia launched at him, her reiatsu seemed to wrap around his, suffocating it. Captain Histugaya's eyes went wide as she approached and he only barely brought his zanpakuto up in time to block her attack. The blades crashed together with a heavy impact, but Rukia pushed forward, he had to work hard to stop himself from stumbling back. Their pressure was creating icy pockets of air around them and the very ground began to freeze over, yet there was heat flowing through their bodies.

Large teal eyes were staring up at her, deep with confusion and his mouth parted in shock as he tried to process what was happening. Rukia did not give him time, she swung around, her zanpakuto coming at him from the left instead, her reiatsu swinging with it and this time his own seemed to shatter under the force.

Demolishing his defence from one side, her blade cut through the air where he'd been a second before he'd leapt away, his lips peeling back in a snarl. The Captain seemed to be responding on a more animalistic level and Rukia had to supress a shuddered. Her exposed wrists were not helping the situation as her scent glands on them were now exposed and though the Omega part of her scent was supressed there were clearly notes that were perplexing and distracting him. At one point his gaze seemed to focus on her wrists like what he smelt was confusing him.

His distraction helped her achieve the upper hand once more and the blade cut through the air where his hair had been. Rukia had only aimed to give him a trim off the top, but he wasn't having any of it. The dragon within him roared at the losing battle, though Hyorinmaru seemed to be just as confused with the situation as his master, unsure why he was yielding so easily to the power of Sode no Shirayuki.

But Rukia knew.

It was all she could do not to stop herself smirking at him as she danced out of the way of his attacks. Each time she did so, he seemed to grow more and more frustrated until he threw himself at her in an explosion of speed and power. The aggressiveness of his attack cut through her reiryoku and she felt her pressure shatter in beautiful crystals as he pinned her aggressively to the icy grass. Zanpakuto's were the only things keeping them apart, she could feel the blade of Sode no Shirayuki pressing against her hand as she held her place, blocking Hyorinmaru. The Captain's legs were on either side of her hips and his face was only half a foot away.

They were both breathing heavy, a number of emotions seemed to be swirling in his large teal eyes, which Rukia had no hope of deciphering. At one point his eyes flickered down her exposed throat and where her shihakusho had opened slightly over her chest before he caught himself. The Captain quickly pulled back with a roar of annoyance from Hyorinmaru who had just began to appreciate winning the battle.

The reiatsu around them shattered when Captain Hitsugaya shoved the dragon back into his sheath and took another tentative step backwards away from Rukia, like her very presence there on the grass was a bad invitation.

Rukia did not get up right away, instead she lay breathing heavy on the grass, her zanpakuto now lying beside her as she tried to contemplate what had gone wrong. It had been her first time trying to use the softer side of her reiryoku in battle, calling on the reiatsu that made up the Omega part of herself and though it had been effective it was very weak in comparison to the very Alpha reiatsu that Captain Hitsugaya was so used to fighting with. Rangiku finally made her way over, her Captains scarf folded over her arm, he'd discarded it halfway through the battle when they'd become warm from their exertion and now Rukia was staring at it like it was a large glass of water.

She couldn't believe how much she wanted that scarf in that exact moment. Rukia's eyes never left it even though she heard the deep decibels of the Captains voice giving instructions to his second in command.

Soon her gaze became obscured by the beaming and caring face of Rangiku.

'Time to get up,' she sung happily as she reached out and pulled Rukia to her feet. Rukia made a point of allowing her exposed wrist to brush against the scarf in Rangiku's arms but it seemed the Captain was not ready to take it back yet. His neck was glistening with sweat and Rukia could see his own uniform sticking to his chest.

It was incredibly difficult to concentrate now that they weren't battling. Rukia found her eyes wandering and inappropriate images popping up in her mind.

'She can use the healing springs,' the Captain seemed to be finishing up.

'I don't need to heal,' Rukia said but his eyes glossed over her again.

'Of course you do, you're bleeding.'

Rukia blinked at him questioningly and then she felt it, the trickle of warm liquid down her chest. She glanced down, but couldn't see where the damage was coming from until she raised her hand and felt it. He'd cut her just above her collar bone, close to her scent gland.

That would explain why he'd been staring openly at her neck. Rukia almost felt disappointed at that before she quickly recovered herself.

'I can use the healing springs of my own squad,' she stated.

'You'll be the only one in ours Rukia, they're only for high seated officers and I'm the only one high enough,' Rangiku giggled. Rukia relaxed at that, at least there would be no interruptions and no one likely to find out the secret she was working so hard to keep. If she turned up sweaty and covered in blood to her brother, he'd likely hunt down the squad ten Captain and cause some serious damage.

After a moment, Rukia relented and agreed, Rangiku pulling her to show her the way.

She could feel the Captain's gaze on the back of her head as she walked and without being able to stop herself, she turned and glanced back, meeting his gaze for a moment. Those intense teal eyes bore into her, as if she were an enigma that he desperately wanted to solve.

Rangiku led her toward the section of housing reserved for the higher officers of squad ten, then into one of the large white healing bath houses. The entire time Rukia tried to get her heart rate under control, the organ thrummed dramatically against her rib cage and her brain seemed to be stuck processing what had happened.

Had she wanted a reaction from the Captain? Had that been what she was aiming for? Rukia swallowed, focusing on her steps as they echoed around the abandoned corridors, following blindly behind Rangiku as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Rukia had known that attacking an Alpha Captain with the softer Omega part of her reiryoku would likely lead to a different outcome than a regular spar. Though she tried to tell herself it was simply an experiment, there was a deeper part of her, on a much more primal level that was whispering that she wanted the Captain to know.

She wanted him to know she was an Omega.

Shaking her head violently against the thought, that could result in a great deal number of problems for her. If her brother had been right that a fraction of her maybe desired the Captain, there would be no point in letting their attraction bubble down entirely to biology.

That was not a basis for a stable relationship.

So she had to wonder if it were all just physical? If, perhaps, after over a hundred years of spending heats alone her body was crying out for a partner to finally spend them with? Rukia felt like her brain was swimming, analysing one's feelings like this was not common place for a Lieutenant who, by job description, was meant to have their shit together.

Rukia ran a hand down her face, and Rangiku who had been silently allowing her time with her thoughts finally piped up.

'You fought differently today,' the woman's voice was kind, but even Rukia could sense the oncoming questions lingering in the air.

'Yeah,' Rukia didn't give anything away and Rangiku turned to fix a beautiful baby blue gaze on her out the corner of her eye.

The questions swam in the air between them and Rukia was sure she saw Rangiku narrow her eyes at her as she held the door open for Rukia to pass into the main changing room. The smell of clean healing spring water hit her full in the face and helped ease her mind. Rukia breathed it in deeply, as well as the muddled damp smell from the lack of cleaning to the facility.

'I'll leave you to it then,' Rangiku sang, her usual carefree tone returned and Rukia glanced over her shoulder to see the woman smirking at her before closing the door.

If Rukia had been perceptive, she'd have spotted the twinkle in the woman's eye that told her she was up to something, however Rukia was exhausted and the smell of the healing water was drawing her focus. She stripped and made her way undisturbed into the chamber where a large circular healing spring was located. The tiles around the pool were damp and Rukia walked carefully, placing her towel and uniform on a rock close to the edge where she could reach them quickly in the event of an emergency.

The water was blissful on her skin as she sunk in, feeling the ache in her muscles slowly fade as the water passed up over her body. Making a small content noise at the back of her throat, Rukia leaned back against the side of the pool and tried to clear her mind so that she could more clearly work through her emotions.

Rukia would have to be careful if she were to pursue this style of fighting, as it would likely lead others to figuring out her secondary gender. Though she didn't mind if a few select others knew, she couldn't risk her secret getting out, Alpha's hunted low ranking Beta's for mates and the crimes against them were horrific enough without even the chance of pregnancy… Rukia couldn't risk it. She just couldn't.

The water sloshed around her as she lifted her hand out to scratch at her forehead and push her sweaty hair back out her face. The moisture in the air was clinging to her eyelashes and she closed her eyes to cut out the room. The fighting style would surely work in catching opponents off guard, as she'd demonstrated today, yet she would have to learn how to manipulate it so that her opponent wouldn't recognise the power for what it was.

The stronger her reiryoku became, the more she used it, surely the less likely someone would connect it to an Omega dynamic? Rukia snorted into the room at the thought, she could hardly imagine half the opponents she'd had over the years ever putting two and two together that quickly. Omegas were very rare, it would be likely they'd assume she was just a low Beta.

That and her zanpakuto which was known to be the most beautiful in the Seireitei… it was likely people would just assume the power was feminine rather than Omega… that would be what she'd press upon people.

'Something funny?'

Rukia started and nearly shot out the water. Her eyes flew open and her whole body tensed so suddenly that there was a hiss from the other side of the pool.

'You'll freeze the water Rukia,' Rangiku scolded her and Rukia felt her mouth fall open. When had the other woman even gotten into the room? Let alone undressed and slipped into the water? How on Earth had Rukia not scented her approach?

The air around them was still thick and heavy with hot spring water, she realised that it was likely this that stopped the woman's scent from carrying over to her.

Rangiku grinned, looking downright evil and Rukia groaned internally. She didn't have the mental strength to deal with this right now. Rukia shouldn't be in a bath with anyone else, it would be far too easy for them to work out what she was when she was exposed like this.

To make matters worse, Rangiku moved closer and Rukia made a sound at the back of her throat.

'What?' the strawberry blonde Lieutenant laughed, 'have you got warts I should be worried about?'

'No, I just,' Rukia could feel the embarrassed flush climbing her cheeks as she tried to think what she could possibly say to put the other woman off getting close, 'I like my personal space.'

'We're women, when girls get girlfriends they're not allowed personal space,' Rangiku laughed but she did stop, allowing a whole foot of space between them in the pool and Rukia tried to relax. 'Orihime and I used to take baths together, it was so much fun.'

Rukia made a nonsensical noise at the back of her throat. She knew that Rangiku was missing the feminine friendship she'd developed with the human girl, but that did not mean that Rukia was the right replacement for it.

'So what inspired the change in your fighting style?' the busty Lieutenant asked as she leaned in closer to Rukia and brought an arm out of the water to prop her head against the side of the pool.

'I don't know,' Rukia's reply came, her distress at the situation momentarily distracted as she spotted the place where Rangiku's clothes lay and saw the teal green of Captain Hitsugaya's scarf sitting folded amongst it. A very strong voice at the back of her head decided that she'd have that scarf by the end of the day.

'That's not an answer,' Rangiku reached out and poked Rukia in the side of the ribs causing the Omega to yelp and squirm. The busty blonde laughed heartily at the reaction and Rukia found herself with her right side pressed against the large rock that she put her clothing on, Rangiku effectively having boxed her in.

'I knew I couldn't beat him,' Rukia started rambling, her eyes darting across the water to the harsh teal fabric that stood out stark against the surrounding black and white tiles and pale coloured rocks.

'So you decided to show him a dancing lesson?' Rangiku was sounding amused now, when Rukia turned to face the woman it was to find that she was much closer. If Rukia's hand slipped under the water she'd accidently brush the other woman's thighs and the Omega tried not to whine in frustration.

'What? No,' Rukia scowled, 'Look we've been fighting high Beta's and Alpha's in every war since I joined the Seireitei, Captain Hitsugaya has learned to focus his reiryoku in a similar fashion to challenge their authority. His Alpha attacks are used to being unchallenged in dominance so I knew if I were to beat him I'd have to channel my reiryoku in the opposite direction, a more _feminine_ direction, that's all.'

Something Rukia had said had obviously caused a reaction in the other woman. Rangiku was no longer smiling, instead her face had gone impassively smooth and there was a hard edge to her eyes.

'Who told you he was an Alpha?'

_Shit. _

The hot water and steam was making it incredibly difficult for the Omega to focus, she wanted to just curl up under the water and not have to worry about saying the wrong thing again. Alas she had to repair the done damage.

'I mean… he fights like one, I just… his reiryoku is very dominating-'

'Who told you, Rukia?' Rangiku's voice was sharp, a hard edge to it that had Rukia biting back a whine.

'I,' it was time for a quick lie, 'I saw it in the filing cabinet of Squad Four when I was there for my appointment, that being said his reiryoku in battle has simply proved that point further. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out if you spend enough time with him,' Rukia huffed.

Rangiku seemed to relax a little at that, but her scrutinizing gaze never once left the Omega's face.

'You know?' Rukia asked and Rangiku frowned for a moment before nodding.

'The Captain is very protective of his low Beta officers,' she supplied, her voice returning to his usual slightly chirpy tone.

'Wait, you're a low Beta?' Rukia looked surprised and Rangiku smirked, like it had been the reaction she had been expecting.

Rukia remembered what the Head Captain had told her, that she'd be surprised how many low Beta's were in hiding in the Seireitei. It was a shock to hear it from the woman's own mouth but now that Rukia thought about it, it didn't come as a surprise. The busty Lieutenant had always had a deep motherly scent, had always enjoyed caring for others and at times even acted like an Omega herself.

'Why are you telling me this?' Rukia frowned, low Beta's were at risk of the same terrible fates that would befall an Omega, just without the risk of becoming pregnant. Rangiku was taking a huge gamble telling Rukia this information and the Omega had to worry how many other people she'd casually passed the information onto.

'I trust you,' Rangiku shrugged causing the water to slosh around them and Rukia relaxed. The notes of the Beta's scent clung thickly around the air now that she was focusing on them. Scooting closer to the Beta and feeling a lot more at ease Rukia sighed and Rangiku reached forward running her hand through Rukia's hair, pushing it back away from her sweaty forehead. Rukia relaxed into it, thinking about the fight that day.

'I'm guessing you're a low ranking Beta too?' Rangiku asked cheekily and Rukia just hummed, feeling entirely too content as the fingers made her slip a little under the water. Losing herself entirely to the feeling of the nails scraping against her scalp, Rukia jumped when Rangiku did.

The water around them disrupted and Rangiku's finger nails pulled away from Rukia's head. Snapping her neck around Rukia glared across the room for any sign of danger but there was none.

'Rukia!' the Beta yelped.

'What?' Rukia opened her mouth to ask, but another noise crossed her lips and it was with an embarrassed flush she realised she must have dozed off.

'You were purring,' Rangiku's eyes were wide, her large baby blue eyes focused entirely on Rukia in that moment and Rukia wanted nothing more than to slip under the water and disappear from her sight. It was true, even just now she could feel the rumblings in her chest, the noise created entirely by a content Omega.

She'd never purred in front of anyone before, usually it was reserved for her nest and for her hot baths following a heat. Rukia had obviously relaxed too much, let her guard down and lost focus, thus her body had just decided she was in a safe place.

'You're an Omega?' Rangiku asked, her mouth falling open in shock.

'Fuck,' Rukia groaned bringing a hand out of the water and running it down her face. She did not have time to be dealing with this right now.

'It all makes sense,' Rangiku said out loud and when Rukia finally worked up the courage to look at the woman she was looking distant and far away, 'that's why… that's how you knew he was an Alpha… that's why you're such a distraction to him.'

What did that mean?

But before Rukia could ask Rangiku started and turned to her, 'that morning at mine? When Byakuya came to get you… was that?'

'Yes,' Rukia whined, realising that there was no point in fighting it anymore, the cat was out of the bag and she'd have a hard time convincing the woman otherwise.

'Oh shit, and I brought Toshiro up to see you,' Rangiku looked guilty at that and Rukia noted with a twinge of jealousy that Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya were on first name basis.

'It's fine, forget about it,' Rukia could feel herself slinking down further in the water, ready to disappear from view as Rangiku digested all the information. The other woman was silent for a while but Rukia could feel her vibrating with unasked questions.

'If you have something you want to ask, just ask it,' Rukia finally said with a sigh.

'How do your heats work? Is it true you can get pregnant? How many other people know? Do you have feelings for my Captain? How have you managed to keep it a secret so long?' they all came out in one giant breath, the woman's genuine excitement bubbling over and Rukia covered her face with her hands and groaned into them.

'Rukia,' Rangiku's voice whined as the other Lieutenant reached over and tugged Rukia's hands away from her face.

'I will answer one question,' Rukia said firmly, fixing Rangiku with an embarrassed glare. The strawberry blonde seemed to consider her options for a while, toying with the questions in her head.

'How do your heats work?' she finally asked. Rukia sighed, and started to explain as best she could, it was awkward and she kept out most of the detail of what she did _during _her heats. Rangiku didn't need that much information especially not that Captain Hitsugaya had kept her company in her mind for her last heat.

Rangiku looked satisfied that Rukia had given her quite the bit of detail and struggled not to ask more questions. Instead the older woman took to running her fingers back through Rukia's hair.

'Your hair's so soft,' she cooed and Rukia found herself relaxing once again back into her touch, 'don't worry Rukia, your secret is safe with me. I won't tell another soul.'

'Not even your Captain?' Rukia asked sleepily, curling into the taller woman and seeking out the mother scent. Lieutenants usually told their Captains everything.

'It's not something he needs to know, and it's your business to tell not mine.' Rangiku's voice was growing distant and far away, Rukia hummed in agreement barely paying much attention to her words but rather to the way her fingers dragged through her hair.

Rukia must have dozed off again because when she woke the second time Rangiku seemed to be supporting her weight to stop her from slipping down under the water of the pool. The other girl was humming in content and Rukia could feel the rumblings in her chest, she'd been purring again but it hadn't seemed to bother Rangiku at all.

'Good morning,' Rangiku sung cheekily and Rukia groaned, her fingers felt pruney beneath the water, they'd stayed in far too long.

'What timesit?' she mumbled sleepily.

'Late enough that Toshiro came by to check on us,' Rangiku laughed at the way Rukia's body tensed under water.

'He came in?'

'No of course not, he's too much of a prude for that,' in her reply Rukia could practically hear the woman's eyes roll. 'No he just stood outside and knocked on the door and asked, I did invite him in-'

'You did what!?'

'-but he wasn't interested.'

'Why would you do that?' Rukia could feel the heat rising in her cheeks at the thought… even the idea… she wasn't sure if she liked it or if she hated it.

'Because I knew he wouldn't take the bait,' Rangiku laughed and pulled herself out of the water, the drops coruscating down her curvy figure beautifully. 'Like I said, he's a prude.'

Rukia tried not to feel too disappointed at that, the Captain that had been pounding her through her heat in her imagination was definitely anything but a prude. Though it did seem to match the mental image he'd build for himself around the Seireitei. Rangiku helped Rukia out the water and gushed over her frame, noting that Rukia was indeed build differently to most of the other female souls.

'You've got lovely hips,' she sighed jealously, 'I suppose you'd need them for giving birth.'

'Thanks,' Rukia said the word with a bite of sarcasm, she'd always just assumed girls having big hips to be codename for 'fat' but she didn't vocalise this to Rangiku, not when she had something else on her mind. She'd not forgotten the scarf and as Rangiku dried her long hair with her towel Rukia grabbed it and quickly stuffed it inside the pocket of her shihakusho.

If Rangiku noticed, she didn't comment and continued to chat amicably as they made their way out of the building. Rukia was about to head straight for home when they were called upon by the Captain just outside the building.

'I was beginning to worry that Lieutenant Matsumoto had drowned you,' his cool voice washed over them and Rukia noticed with a bubble of hope that he hadn't called Rangiku by her first name. The Captain stood with his arms folded into his sleeves, reminding Rukia of the same power her brother always held in this stance, except the diminutive Alpha in front of her fixed her with a kind teal gaze.

'I just wanted to make sure you were okay, I didn't mean to cut you with my blade,' his gaze bore into Rukia and she smiled timidly at him.

'I was fine, just tired, I think I fell asleep. Sorry for worrying you Captain.'

He relaxed at her response and set up their time for the following week before turning and departing. Rukia made her way back to her brothers while deciding not to tell him that Rangiku now knew about her secondary gender… lord forbid the man would hunt her down and make her sign an NDA too.

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**As always a comment would be appreciated, you don't need to have an account to leave a few words in a review and let me know if you're enjoying it or not! Thanks!**


	5. Burial

**As always a massive thanks to those who read and especially a massive thanks to FafaCute, always-this-serious, Marianna & Anon for the comments! You guys are the best! **

**Anon, glad I could make you laugh! :)**

**Marianna thank you so much for your kind words and compliments I hope you enjoy this chapter too! :D**

**always-this-serious Thank you! I love a Ran and Rukia friendship too :D**

**FafaCute Ahhh I love a good romance scene too! But you may need to sit tight while they work through a couple more things first, sorry for the little bit of bumps in the road, I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless. **

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Rukia had decided to hide Captain Hitsugaya's stolen goods away in her own private living quarters, sealing them away in a kido barrier so they wouldn't lose any of their scents. It was perhaps a bit much, but she didn't want to bring them to her nest until she was ready for them, least her brother discover them and that was a conversation she could really do without.

Despite this very mature decision, this didn't stop her wanting them in her nest. She groaned as she rolled over, to and fro with very little to distract her anxious brain. Rukia's days had been taken up with studying, running her division and she cherished the days where she'd make her way over to squad ten to continue her training. She'd learned more about her reiryoku and channelling the Omega part of it without it completely giving her away. Thankfully now that Rangiku knew about her secondary gender the older woman gave Rukia some very good feedback at the end of sparring matches as well as some very inappropriate gazes whenever Rukia got too close to Captain Hitsugaya.

That was probably the worst part about Rangiku knowing that Rukia was an Omega, was that she _knew. _Rangiku was no idiot, she'd told Captain Hitsugaya that she'd misplaced his scarf but she was obviously covering up for Rukia and Rukia was grateful. Still that didn't prevent the knowing smiles behind the Captains back making her blush as she tried to focus on fighting him and not inhaling his scent.

When the morning came for Rukia's final assessment for her Captaincy, she was oddly dishevelled. This had been the part of the test she'd been most confident in and yet… yet the thought was there that once she passed, she would be announced as a Captain and that would be when the real hard work would begin.

Byakuya came to knock on her door and wake her, and Rukia prepared herself for the usual morning routine.

'I have a request, Onii-Sama,' Rukia started after the two had finished breakfast and were sipping on their tea.

'Oh?' he raised a questioning eyebrow and Rukia took a deep breath.

'The repairs on my division are almost complete, my quarters are now safe again, I'd like your permission to move my nest back and start living there again.' She had to word it like a request, even though it technically wasn't. After all, if she were to be the Captain of squad thirteen they'd need her to actually live and work there.

Her brother sighed, like he knew that this conversation had been coming and was dreading it.

'Yes, I suppose,' he huffed, his tone not at all like the usual Alpha Captain tone she'd come to expect. Rukia watched him carefully as he turned to glance out across their gardens and toward the koi pond he often sat at when he needed time to contemplate.

'Onii-Sama?' Rukia questioned warily, unsure whether she would be allowed to question him fully. From across the table, she watched the light of the rising sun flutter across his face, catching the shadows of smile lines barely used and making him look much older just for a moment.

'I would be lying if I said I hadn't been enjoying the company,' his tone was fond, wishful and Rukia felt a tug at her heartstrings. She'd offer to come and stay over a couple of times through the week or even the month but the truth was disassembling her nest and moving it took a lot of time and she could never ever sleep without it. It was an Omega thing and he understood that.

'I can come by early for breakfast and we can set a standard time for evening meals too?' she offered instead and she watched as the smile lines creased back into use.

'I'd like that,' he replied and Rukia nodded, understanding by his tone she'd been dismissed for the day. Rukia stood up and attached her zanpakuto to her uniform, checking to make sure it was secure before turning to leave.

'Rukia,' his voice started her and she had a dreaded moment where she thought he was maybe going to take back what he'd said, as she turned to him though he fixed her with a proud look.

'Yes Onii-Sama?' she asked tentatively.

'Good luck,' he nodded his head and Rukia straightened a little, a smile flashing across her face that had her brother's chest welling with pride.

'I'll make you proud,' she turned and swept from the room, but not before she caught the brief words he muttered under his breath.

'You always do.'

Rukia arrived early for her exam which was to be held and marked at the Academy. She was seated and papers were piled on her desk, she pulled the ink pot closer and pulled her own brush from inside her uniform. When the examiner gave the word, she began.

The questions were exactly what she'd been expecting and studying for. History: a Captain had to understand the history of the Seireitei in order to not let it be used against them and to not repeat it. Languages: a Captain had to understand a wide number of them if they were expected to command non-Asian forces. Principles and Laws: in order for a Captain to maintain command they had to understand the reason behind the rules and laws and know them off by heart. These were the three main pillars on which the exam itself was built and each one required several pages of notes and even a couple of essays to be written.

Rukia was allowed one break to attend the restroom and another to rest her aching fingers. She'd done her fair share of paperwork as a Lieutenant of course but this was a few hours of constant writing more than she was used too, unless it was the time of the year where they'd intake new recruits, for some reason this required more paperwork than when a member of the squad died.

After her second break, Rukia made her way back to discover the multiple choice part of her quiz. Then she had to read over a number of possible situations she could encounter as Captain and write what she'd do if presented with these fake situations and why.

The exam lasted close to six hours in total, including the time for breaks and at the end Rukia didn't have to wait long to receive her marks as each time she'd completed a section one of the examiners came to collect it. So her entire exam had been getting marked as she completed it.

Rukia paced in the waiting office, ignoring the plate of food that had been placed on the desk and occasionally staring up at the clock which seemed to be ticking backwards.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki?' the voice finally came and Rukia turned to see the elderly Shinigami in his uniform with a large smile on his face.

'Yes, how did I do?' she asked, her eyes flicking down to the papers he held in his hand.

'Congratulations, you passed with the second highest score the Academy has ever seen.' He held the papers up and she took it from him with shaking hands. A large 99% was written at the top of her paper and for a moment all she could do was blink down at it.

Captain Hitsugaya had the second highest ever mark, a famous 98% and the only person to have ever beaten that was Gin Ichimaru with a score of 100%.

Rukia had beaten the famous Captain Hitsugaya and for a stunned moment all she could do was laugh.

Because he was going to kick her ass hard the moment he found out.

Rukia was partly excited and partly nervous for their sparring match that evening. She knew news travelled fast and indeed her own squad had somehow heard the news of her results before she could even get back and inform them herself. They were clearly beaming with pride and kept congratulating her and stating how much they were looking forward to her rule as a Captain. It made Rukia feel accomplished, it made her feel important and it made her feel like she could actually do the job.

Her happiness carried all the way to squad ten where she knocked on the Captains door, allowing herself a moment to be excited to see him, to see how he'd react to her beating his score. Maybe if she was even feeling brave enough, she'd rub it in just a little.

A smile tugged at her lips at the thought, but it slowly slid off her face when she realised no one was coming to the door. Hesitantly she raised her hand and knocked again, this time a little louder. Rukia strained her ears but she couldn't hear the loud voice of Rangiku nor the hushed whispers of her Captain.

Rukia glanced up at the sky, she couldn't tell the time without a clock but she was sure she'd arrived punctually for their sparring match.

At that moment she heard the hurried footsteps and turned to see two female unseated officers running down the street, the caught sight of Rukia and promptly slowed their pace, giving her a low bow.

'Lieutenant Kuchiki,' one of them said, 'forgive our pace.' She was shorter than her friend with long blond hair tied up in a tight bun on top of her head and large brown eyes.

'Where is the Captain?' Rukia asked, panic starting to worry its way into her stomach. Captain Hitsugaya had never missed one of their meetings before.

'I believe he sent a messenger to your brother,' the other woman said, this one had short dark hair and brown eyes.

'I never returned to squad six,' Rukia said mostly to herself, 'where is Captain Hitsugaya?'

'We discovered the last bodies of our division,' the shorter woman spoke again, 'he's holding the final burial.'

Rukia felt her stomach drop. The two women politely excused themselves and headed off in the direction of where the burial was to be taking place. Rukia took a few moments to make up her mind then took off after the women.

They led her to a large open field, but this one was on the edge of a forest and had buildings overlooking it. Down on the ground officers were sitting, and leaning against the buildings and balconies. Rukia spotted the familiar red hair of Lieutenant Rangiku and made her way toward the woman who was standing leaning against a balcony and looking out over the scene. Rukia arrived and was just about to greet the older woman when she spotted what everyone was watching.

Captain Hitsugaya was digging the graves by hand himself. No kido, no reiatsu, no help; just Captain Hitsugaya, a shovel and the earth. Four mounds of earth sat in large piles behind their graves, and as he worked on the fifth, Rukia saw he'd discarded his haori over the branch of a low hanging tree. Rukia felt a lump in her throat as she stepped up beside Rangiku.

The other Lieutenant acknowledged her for a moment with a grim nod but went back to observing the scene in silence. Rukia counted the bodies which had been wrapped in cloth and were lying on the grass to the side, ready for their graves. There were ten in total and that meant that the Captain was barely even halfway done digging the graves.

The sun beat down against his black shihakusho and Rukia winced, this was even too hot for her and she wasn't doing anything to exert herself. It was clear that the Captain was feeling the heat, yet at no point did he call upon Hyorinmaru to come fourth and help cool him, instead he continued, unperturbed by the temperature at which he worked.

'Has he done this for everyone?' Rukia asked quietly to Rangiku.

'Yeah,' the busty Lieutenant replied, 'this is the final group to be buried.'

'How can he stand the heat?' Rukia set her jaw pleased that where she and Rangiku stood was in the shade of the building.

'He can't, he'll pay for it later tonight and maybe tomorrow too,' Rangiku sighed like she didn't agree with this method but Rukia could tell from her time with the Captain that there was no talking him out of an idea.

They continued to watch him in silence for a while longer as he made his way steadily through the fifth grave. It was clear to Rukia that he was very experienced doing this, given how almost perfect the shape of each grave was. Eventually her eyes were drawn down to the ground where a few girls were giggling and whispering among themselves, Rukia recognised one instantly as Sakura, the purple haired low Beta who had come to give Captain Hitsugaya his new haori. Rukia gritted her teeth in frustration, not only was it incredibly rude to be talking and giggling during this funeral but it was also distracting. Rukia knew that a lot of the low Beta females were likely attracted to the division because of the Captain himself. He was, now that Rukia properly thought about him that way, very attractive, loyal, brave and intelligent. Qualities not often found in the brutish men of the Seireitei.

Rukia wasn't really sure why the distant giggles of a few girls were grating on her nerves but they were and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from snapping. That thought was wiped from her mind though as she watched Captain Hitsugaya shed the top part of his uniform. Clearly feeling the heat now, even from this far away Rukia could see it glinting off his skin, he untied his obi and peeled off his shitagi and kosode but left his black hakama pants on. The giggling stopped but it was likely for the same reason that Rukia couldn't take her eyes off him.

He was beautiful, but not your conventional olive skin beautiful. His skin had a harsher look to it, glinting in the sunlight with the sweat and looking much more like ice catching the dewy rays of a rising sun. Rukia swallowed thickly, the scrawny boy that she never once looked twice at had been filing out over the years and she'd never noticed. His body was covered with thickening muscles and the occasional scar of battle coruscated in the sun as he moved.

Rukia was sure she could feel Rangiku's eyes on her but she didn't care, her own eyes were greedily drinking in the sight. She'd never know if this would be something she'd ever get to see again. When they sparred they were never too hot, they would usually sweat but it was the sweat of hard work, not of heat. The temperatures that they worked at would likely prevent the Captain ever shedding his uniform during one of their spars even if Rukia did push him.

So Rukia guilty allowed herself to take the sight in now and commit it to memory. Even though the reason behind the shedding of his clothes was grim, she couldn't stop the flush of arousal that coursed through her. He'd been the object of her entire focus through her heat and her imagination hadn't even done him justice.

Eventually two officers from his squad walked toward him and the only thing that stopped Rukia growling possessively over the railing was the fact they were men. The shorter of the two with dark hair handed his Captain a wet towel and the other a flask of what Rukia guessed was ice cold water.

Captain Hitsugaya paused his digging and accepted the two gifts, likely downing most of the water in one go and then pouring a little into his hand to rub on the back of his neck. The towel was used over his face and chest and Rukia bit the inside of her lip.

She _needed_ that towel.

After dumping the towel over the back of his neck, the Captain jumped back down into the grave and continued to dig. It was very hard to concentrate on the severity of the situation because of all the nakedness and towel yearning but Rukia tried her best.

He'd just started the sixth grave when Rangiku finally spoke.

'Want to slip away for a drink, we can come back before he's finished?' she asked and Rukia turned as those baby blue eyes seemed to scrutinize her.

'No I'm fine here,' Rukia's voice was a little higher than she'd have liked and she cleared it, feeling heat rising in her cheeks.

It took two seconds before a wicked and knowing grin split across Rangiku's face which only caused Rukia to flush more.

'It wouldn't perhaps be because the Captain is half naked would it?' she asked and Rukia hissed at how loud her tone had been.

It only made Rukia blush harder.

'N-no,' she stammered and Rangiku's grin went impossibly wider.

'Oh my gosh Rukia you could try to be a little more subtle about it. How long have you been lusting after him? Has it just been since he's taken his top off or has it been since he almost touched you at mine?' Rangiku was laughing and the woman was already a very naturally loud person. Rukia didn't have a clue how to respond to any of it, she just prayed the people around them were not listening to a word she said because if those rumours ever got back to her brother Rukia would have a hard time convincing him that she was here for the training and not for the Icy Captain's sexy body.

'Lieutenant Matsumoto!' a stern voice scolded and Rangiku stopped laughing at once turning to stare down into the un-amused face of her Captain who had stopped digging and was glaring up at her. 'Perhaps you'd like to come and give me a hand?'

Rangiku instantly started whining, flopping uselessly over the railing of the balcony they were on and complaining about dirt in her nails.

Rukia realised this was her chance to escape the gloating and teasing of the older woman and turned to gaze down at him.

'I will help,' she called and watched the shocked look cross his face. He seemed to study her, those intense teal eyes trying to figure her out, and then he very slowly nodded. Rukia quickly made her way down toward him, excited at possibly being able to squirrel away the towel that resided across his neck but also just excited about being close to him.

Rukia was handed a shovel when she appeared at the base of the building, she accepted it gladly and moved out into the harsh sunlight. This wouldn't be very good for her, and being a female Omega shinigami she couldn't exactly shed her clothes like the Captain had. Rukia simply prayed that between the two of them they could get the work done fast before she got heat stroke… again.

She moved closer to the Captain and he held a mudded hand up to help her down into his half finished sixth grave. Rukia took it, the first time she'd ever felt his fingers graze her, they were rougher than hers, calloused, likely from all the digging he'd been doing that day. An electric current seemed to flow from his fingertips burning into her skin and setting her on edge. If he felt anything, he made no indication of it and yet Rukia could feel her reiryoku respond to his. It felt like trying to swim upstream against a current, how it would beat away at the heat surrounding them to reach out to his.

The Captain let go of her hand as soon as Rukia was safely down inside the grave, the gesture hadn't been necessary, Rukia was more than able to jump a couple of feet herself but she'd appreciated it regardless. His entire body was shimmering with sweat, and while he started to turn away from her to continue his work, Rukia's gaze swept over him. He had a fine set of light abs, larger arm muscles than she'd been expecting but she also clocked the way his collarbone stuck out against the rest of his chest, like he still had more filling out to do.

The Captain turned away and continued his work and not wanting to be caught staring Rukia copied him. She focused on the mud, following the rectangular lines that he'd already started and simply digging them down. It was easier to do it in squares, ploughing the straight edge of the spade deep down then using it to cut edges out before hauling the earth out of the grave toward the mound that Captain Hitsugaya had started.

They worked in silence, the only thing heard was the sound of their spades hitting earth and the soft thrum, when a load was tossed out into the waiting pile.

Rukia tried to focus on her work as best she could, but she could smell him. His sweat was making his scent thicker than normal, the winter jasmine was harsh and complimented the smell of the damp earth. It didn't help that his reiryoku seemed to be trying to respond to hers and at one point Rukia caught him side glancing at her, as if he too were caught off guard by the event.

By the time they started work on the final grave, Rukia was covered in sweat. She could feel her hair sticking to her forehead, clinging to the back of her neck and her uniform doing the same. By the time the grave seemed deep enough, Rukia was helped gracefully out of it by the Captain. She could have gotten herself out, but any excuse to touch him again was exactly what she was looking for. As soon as he was out the grave, he discarded his towel and made his way over to the bodies. Rukia took shelter under the shade of a nearby tree and was surprised when a familiar voice called to her.

'Lieutenant,' Rukia turned to see Daiki and Maki standing ready with a towel of their own and bottle of water which Rukia took gratefully.

'What are you two doing here?' she whispered back in surprise.

'We came as soon as we heard what was happening,' Daiki said with a bow of his head, 'we wanted to show our support for squad ten.'

Rukia turned and saw a large number of her own officers standing around, observing what was going on, their heads bowed respectfully and nothing but soft words whispered to each other. Rukia felt her chest swell at the thought, normally divisions only cared about their own, with the exception of squad four whose job it was to care for everyone.

Rukia watched as Captain Hitsugaya seemed to recognise that not everyone there were his own soldiers, he turned and flashed Rukia a soft smile that Rukia felt stir something deep inside her, something primal that wanted to seek out his comfort. Rukia felt her reiryoku stir again and had to work hard to pull it back in to her body, though the connection between herself and the other ice Captain had likely kept them cooler in the harsh sun rays.

They remained silent while the squad ten Captain picked up each body, said a couple of words and then gently set them down in the graves. Rukia realised that he knew them all by first and second names, even knew what some of their jobs had been and a little about their personal life.

How he'd developed the reputation as the cold icy Captain of squad ten, Rukia had no idea. He was nothing at all like his reputation perceived. This became even more apparent when he finally lifted the final body for the last grave and the covering slipped off the face.

Rukia recognised her instantly, as the young squad member that she'd found dying under the rubble a few weeks ago. Her hand tightened on the hilt of Sode No Shirayuki to ground herself as the Captain walked forward and gently placed the body down into the grave, covering the face once again.

This time when he spoke, his voice sounded thicker, like he was trying to hold back his emotions.

'War comes at a cost,' he called out to the two listening divisions, 'a terrible cost that is often forgotten when the next one starts.'

Rukia winced at the obvious distaste in his voice. She knew he had a bad history with the laws of the Seireitei and often opposed them when he found them to be unjust.

'Let us not forget these lives that were too soon taken from us. Let these souls go on to find peace in the world of the living, until they are ready to join us again.'

It seemed that was all he could manage before a couple of his squad stepped forward with shovels of their own. Rukia walked forward, as did Daiki who was handed a shovel without question and together they all began to fill back in the graves. The work went quickly, the contrast of the beautiful day against the harsh dark brown mounds below was a focus point to distract them as Rukia fought hard against her emotions.

This was the end of another war, though there were still buildings needing repaired, this part here, the burying of the dead was the final emotional battle of war. From here it was rebuilding, from here it was hope, new life and appreciating the fact that you were still here, existing.

Once all the graves had been filled in, the Captain gave a nod of his head, signalling everyone's dismissal and everyone began to leave the area, likely to head to the nearest bar for a drink. Rukia watched as some of her own division began mingling with some from squad ten, greeting each other like they'd known each other for years. Rukia remembered that actually that may have been true, they may have gone to the Academy together and were split up the same way she and Renji were when they entered their own divisions.

A few squad members came to place flowers and rocks down at the grave sites and Rukia noticed that Captain Hitsugaya wasn't leaving the area yet.

'Lieutenant, we're taking a few of the squad ten members to our division for a few drinks,' Daiki said tentatively, like he was scared of disturbing the dead, 'do you want to join us?'

'No thank you,' Rukia turned and smiled at him, 'I'll stay a while longer then make my way back to my living quarters for the evening.' He nodded his head in understanding and turned to leave. Rukia watched him disappear with a few of the other squad members before turning back. Most of the area was empty now. Captain Hitsugaya had plopped himself down beside his spade, under a shade of a tree and as close to the graves as he could be.

No one was disturbing him, from where Rukia watched his face had a distant sad look etched on it. The face of a man much older than his body appeared.

She was torn between wanting and not wanting to disturb him. Eventually though, the Omega side gave out and she made her way over to where he sat. He didn't look up as she sat beside him, but she could tell from his body language he wasn't opposed to her being near him. For a long time they said nothing, just sat side by side. The sweat on Rukia's forehead was beginning to cool, causing that itchy sensation but she just turned her head against the wind and relished the feeling, she was lucky enough to be here to feel it.

'Thank you,' he said, his voice so full of sincerity and loaded with an emotion Rukia couldn't put her finger on.

'You're welcome,' she wasn't sure why she felt shy all of a sudden, but he must have picked up on her tone because his eyes were soon on hers, boring into her like he was trying to figure out a really complex puzzle. Their reiryoku started to thrum again, as if it were reaching out, his brows knitted together in confusion.

'I usually have to do this alone,' he continued, clearly choosing to ignore whatever was happening between their spiritual energy, 'it was nice to have someone to do it with.'

Rukia was finding it very hard to keep her eyes on his face when there was loads of deliciously exposed skin directly underneath it. He seemed to not notice her internal battle though, instead his gaze drifting out over the field where the mounds were now decorated with a few gifts from the squad members.

'"It is one of the harder parts of being a Captain,"' she repeated back words he'd spoken to her in the past and watched as a small tug of his lips were the only indication he'd recognised it.

'Speaking of which,' he started, 'I heard you beat my score.'

Rukia's eyes had been greedily drinking in the way his abdominal muscles were clenched as he sat, but they flew up to his face as he spoke, trying to gauge if he were upset by this fact or not. He didn't appear to be, his expression looked mostly amused.

'You jealous?' Rukia decided to press, aware her tone and words could be mistaken as flirtation. It had the desired effect, he tilted his head back, his long neck exposed to the light of the sun and laughed. It was the first proper time she'd heard him laugh and the sound was low and throaty, like the growl of a content dragon or the rumbling of stormy clouds before the rain.

'Absolutely,' his tone was light, playful and he even flashed a grin that made her want to curl up against him. Fighting down all her natural instincts, Rukia simply offered him a shy smile instead. 'Though I am glad out of all the people to beat my score it was you.'

The words were said so simply, so matter-of-factly that Rukia almost missed the deeper meaning behind them. He was proud of her.

She offered him another shy smile, since she wasn't really sure what to say at such a compliment. He didn't seem to be looking for a response though, simply content with her company as they watched the sun slowly begin to sink down over the rows of buildings in the distance.

Rukia was so content, she almost missed the little hell butterfly that floated down toward them until Toshiro held his finger out for it.

With a little flutter of its wings, it bypassed him and fluttered over to Rukia. He blinked in shock for a moment before he smiled again.

'This will be the date,' he said and she held her finger up for the insect.

It was indeed the date. As soon as its legs touched on her finger the voice of the Head Captain rang in her head so only she could hear it. The date for her promotion was set for the end of that week and Rukia felt a twist of anxiousness in her stomach.

She repeated the date back to the Captain and he nodded his head slowly, reaching out to pull his uniform back on over his torso. The air around them had cooled since sitting in the shade and he was clearly getting ready to move.

'I'm sorry we didn't have time to spar,' he apologised as he stood up, 'I will see you at the Captain meeting at the end of the week.' He held a hand out to her and Rukia took it one final time, allowing him to help her to her feet. His hands were still covered in dirt, still dry from their hard work, but she could feel the way their spiritual pressure linked through the contact. His eyes briefly glanced down at their connected fingers before he let her hand go.

'I look forward to seeing you in a haori,' he said the words and quickly turned away, trudging back across the muddied field toward his office. Rukia watched him go, feeling her heart swelling in her chest and pounding against his ribs.

Rukia had been guiltlessly flirting with him, she could recognise it now that she replayed the last few minutes in her mind. Regardless of that, he'd been flirting back with her and that made the little bubble of longing grow. She reached down and snatched up his towel before she turned to take her leave from the division. Rukia stopped by her own on the way to hide the towel in the barrier with his other belongings she'd managed to get her hands on.

Moving her nest was stressful, she refused to let anyone other her brother touch any part of the nest and her brother was incredibly busy. He'd only been able to help with two loads. The Seireitei wasn't exactly known for its bags and convenient methods for transporting scented blankets inconspicuously without letting them lose their scent. Rukia did have one idea though, the idea came in the form of Rangiku who had more than her fair share of clothing and bags and donated a couple to Rukia's cause. Using the bags, Rukia decided to move her nest at night when there were fewer officers out on guard, most finally celebrating the official end of the war in the local bars and restaurants.

Once the final load had been transported back to her living quarters, Rukia spent a couple of hours in mild panic as the scents of dust and Quincy still punctuated the space and spent her time cleaning into the early morning. The last few days had passed in a bit of a blur and she'd decided she wanted her nest moved prior to her Captain ceremony, but she'd procrastinated and left it to last minute. Rukia's eyes flew to the clock hanging on the wall, it told her that she'd need to be getting up in approximately four hours for that very ceremony.

With a groan, she threw her cleaning rags into a bucket and trudged to bed, hoping to just get a couple of hours sleep. She wanted to look fresh and ready to take on her first day as a Captain but sleep just wouldn't come. It evaded her as precisely as a snow storm evaded a desert.

Rukia tossed and turned, the scents from the room still bothering her and causing her tired brain to go over thoughts that she didn't need circulating in her head. Everything from how she would likely fail as a Captain to the extreme scenario of Captain Hitsugaya marrying his Lieutenant.

Eventually Rukia huffed and pushed herself from bed, wandering over to where her kido was protecting the Captain's belongings she'd managed to steal. They consisted of his teal scarf, his shredded haori and the towel which he'd been using to wipe sweat from his face and neck the day before. Rukia felt guilty as she brought the items into her nest, but the guilt quickly evaporated when his scent wrapped around her in the small space. She curled up with the items close, using them to block out all the other scents in the room and found she was able to drift off no problem after that.

Rukia slept so soundly that she almost missed her alarm and found herself in a rushed panic getting showered and dressed in time before the ceremony. Barely making it in on time and seeing her brother flashing her rather annoyed looks from across the hall, Rukia made her way over toward the Head Captain.

'Ah Rukia, Nano has your haori's all ready to go,' he grinned smugly down at her, a bright twinkle of pride in his eyes. 'You better go get changed before everyone else shows up.'

Slipping away before her brother could follow her, Rukia followed Lieutenant Ise into the next room, which was significantly smaller. There on the long table were three folded haori's and Rukia reached out picking the first one up. The inside was dyed a deep maroon, the colour of her division and printed on the back with their insignia of the snowdrop. Her hands shook as she held the fabric, remembering clearly the colours her Captain had worn so well. Now here they were, in her size, in her hands ready to be worn by her.

Rukia hadn't anticipated the emotions she'd feel from such a simple act, she hadn't even put it on yet.

'I will leave you to get changed,' Lieutenant Ise said, her voice had a delicate tone to it and as Rukia looked up she saw the girl offer her a sad smile.

Rukia didn't exactly need privacy to put the haori on over her uniform, but she appreciated the moment of privacy nonetheless.

When she stood in front of the mirror she was a little disappointed by what she saw. The girl that looked back at her was the same girl who had run wild on the streets of Inuzuri, the same girl who had struggled through the Academy and then been adopted, the same girl who had been sentenced to death for helping a human boy.

The girl who stood in front of her was nothing but a past shadow, attempting to wear a haori and pretending to be a Captain. Rukia turned away from the mirror, her eyes skirting around the room until they fell on the table tucked in the corner. Walking over, Rukia pulled a pair of chopsticks toward her and went back to the mirror.

Pulling her hair up into a tight bun and using the chopsticks to seal it in place, Rukia couldn't believe the difference it made to her appearance. She pulled back her shoulders, stood a little straighter and continued to study her reflection. Now she looked too mature, too stern, the face of a woman she was yet to become looking back at her. With her hair removed from her face, her jaw was more angular and her cheekbones stood out, giving the illusion of age.

With a smile, Rukia reached up and pulled a couple of strands loose from their bindings, the strands fell around her face and neck. Now she had the appearance of a woman who was older but not as uptight, not as strict. The strands actually looked playful from where they fell and the dark colour drew more attention to her eyes and away from her high cheekbones.

It was perfect.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath then opened them to glance back in the mirror. This time she stared over her shoulder staring at the place where her Captain would likely have stood while looking at her reflection beside her.

'I'll do you proud Captain,' she said as she raised her hand to the mirror and gently touched the fingers of her own reflection.

Rukia could have sworn a soft voice spoke something back to her, but it was too soft to hear.

Rukia stepped out and waited patiently outside the door for the announcement. Lieutenant Ise stood behind her, the woman had approved of Rukia the moment she saw her. Rukia could tell as the usually stoic expression softened and she'd nodded her head approvingly.

The Head Captain made an announcement, and Rukia knew he were speaking to more than just the Captains of the room, he was also speaking to their Lieutenants and a few others of importance who would be joining them for the ceremony and subsequent feast.

'Please welcome the new Captain of Squad Thirteen,' his voice boomed loudly and Rukia pushed the doors open. From her entrance point, she had to walk all the way down the rows of Captains to take her place at the end of the line. She'd made her decision prior to entering the hall that she would not be meeting anyone's eye except the Head Captain. The man in question stood from his seat and beamed at her, Rukia tried not to crack a smile at how happy he looked. It was incredibly difficult and she gave him a small nod, smile still etched on her face as she walked down the rows of other Captains and Lieutenants.

Rukia could have sworn from the corner of her eye she saw her brother swell with pride.

Taking her place at the end of the line, the Head Captain began to recite the duties expected of her, reiterating the points to the rest of the Captains.

'Captain Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen, do you promise to uphold these laws and traditions?' he finally asked and Rukia nodded her head.

'I do,' her hand tightened on the hilt of Shirayuki to help ground her.

'Then congratulations Captain Kuchiki, and welcome,' he spread his arms and there was a polite smattering of applause from around the room. Rukia noticed that her brother and Renji were applauding appreciatively but the loudest claps came from squad ten in the form of Rangiku and squad four Captain Isane.

Rukia had been doing her best to avoid eye contact with Captain Hitsugaya but as her eyes swept over his strawberry blonde lieutenant who was beaming and waving at her as if unsure she'd been heard, Rukia's eyes found their way to his.

His expression, which was normally cold and calculated was softer, a shadow of a smile playing on his lips and his eyes sparkling from across the hall. Rukia felt that fluttering in her chest, the familiar feel of her spiritual pressure soaring but she beat it down. Other Captains would easily be able to feel it so she quickly got it under control before anyone else noticed.

'Now let's eat,' Head Captain Kyoraku called but Rukia knew that it was just another excuse for more alcohol. Rangiku seemed just as eager as he was as he turned and led everyone from the hall and into the direction of another large chamber. This room was just as plain as the main hall had been, with its white walls and wooden flooring but it had been decorated with white paper chains and symbols of the snowdrop.

Rukia smiled at the décor, she knew that the Seireitei didn't have much to give after the recent war, so any attempt she appreciated. A large table was at the end of the hall, with glasses of champagne and sake. Some of the lower ranked soldiers had offered their services as servers for the night and were making their way through the room with trays of food. The food was not fine dining by any stretch, the meals in the Seireitei were restricted and rationed but Kyoraku had clearly tried his best.

'Thank you so much,' Rukia said as she finally managed to approach him again, 'I'm surprised you even managed to pull so many things together given the current situation.'

'I know,' the Head Captain grinned at her, 'Thankfully I keep the sake down in the dungeons along with the wine and whisky too, so there was no damage to the supplies.' He winked at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her into the centre of the room. Rukia squirmed uncomfortably at the feeling, she didn't like being the centre of attention for so many people. All around the hall eyes were landing on her, most of them people she knew but a couple were people she'd never met before.

One her brother had decided to introduce her too.

'Rukia,' he called her name and she turned to him quickly, ducking out from under the Head Captains arms as he was scolded by Lieutenant Ise for 'man handling' her.

'Onii-Sama?' she asked curiously as her brother brought forward a tall dark-haired man. He had thick black eyebrows that were almost joining in the centre of his forehead and Rukia was so focused on them she didn't notice the set of slightly crooked teeth until he started talking.

'Congratulations Lieutenant Kuchiki,' he said stepping forward in front of her brother who looked a little perturbed by the motion but recovered quickly.

'This is Eto Higashi, he's due to be promoted as a Lieutenant of squad seven,' Byakuya said. Rukia's eyes travelled up the man, his expression looked hungry, possessive even. Instantly her eyes narrowed, this man was also very much an Alpha. The waves of thick scent wafting off him of charred wood and some unpleasant damp smell was disturbing the air around them.

Byakuya hadn't told this guy she was an Omega had he? The thought was fleeting as her eyes flickered back to her brothers and she internally scolded herself, her brother would never ever do that. He'd shown nothing but respect for her and ensured that she only ever be the person to tell others of her secondary gender.

'It's nice to meet you Higashi,' Rukia lied smoothly, nodding her head and refusing his offer to shake his hand. He held his hand out for a second or so longer as if hoping she'd maybe change her mind but when he was sure she wasn't he lowered it, looking a little annoyed.

Rukia's eyes flickered back to her brother, she had to wonder what the purpose of this was? Was he trying to set her up?

'Lieutenant Higashi is from the noble Higashi clan, he's second in line next to his older brother.' Byakuya explained, affirming Rukia's suspicion that this was indeed a set up.

'Ha!' he bellowed, 'I should be first in line, my puny little Beta brother couldn't even swat a fly if it flew too close to his head.'

He seemed to think this statement was funny and was clearly waiting for them to laugh but when neither of them did, though Byakuya did manage a grimace, he turned back to Rukia.

'I'll get you a drink,' he said.

'I can get my own.'

'No, I'll do it,' he turned and walked away and Rukia was glad he was gone, she turned her blazing look on her brother who blinked innocently.

'What is this?' she asked, working hard to keep her tone steady and not lose her tempter.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at her, not appreciating the tone nor way he was questioned.

'It is unsightly for a Captain ranked noble to be unmarried,' Byakuya said smoothly, his tone indicating that this topic wasn't up for debate, 'I am merely trying to help move things along.'

'I don't need your help with that Onii-Sama, I am perfectly capable of finding a husband on my own,' Rukia kept her voice low, the heat rising in her cheeks because this was not the place to be having this particular discussion.

'When was the last time you had a date Rukia?' Byakuya asked and Rukia spluttered. The truth was she hadn't had a date in a very, very long time. Since her early days fresh out the Academy to be exact.

With her lack of response, Byakuya nodded his head, as if this affirmed what his suspicions had been all along and Rukia resisted the urge to make a very inappropriate hand gesture behind his back as he turned away.

What was originally meant to be one of the best nights of her career was soon ruined with the overbearing Alpha. It was likely he assumed Rukia to be a low Beta from the way he treated her and showed her off like she was something he already owned. Rukia scowled the entire time but decided to give the experience a proper chance so that her brother couldn't argue with her later when she advised that Higashi wasn't for her.

Through the night Rukia's eyes kept wandering to another Alpha in the room. Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku were in a deep discussion at one point. The frosty ice Captain looked angry and they seemed to be having a disagreement over something. Several times Rukia tried to slip away to go and speak with her friends and every single time Higashi stopped her.

Not long after Captain Hitsugaya left the event, without even saying goodbye, Rukia finally snapped at Higashi. She'd been about to head over to speak to Rangiku and Renji who were huddled together having a chat, when Higashi grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Instantly the room went cold, he realised his mistake too late when he yanked his frozen arm back and grunted in pain.

'Enough!' Rukia called, standing to her full height and rounding on him, 'I am a Captain and I will not be man-handled by an oaf like you. If this is how you plan on treating Captains you will not last very long as a Lieutenant before one of us kill you, you have my word.' Before he could even blink, Rukia had her blade at his throat.

It had happened so fast that even she barely had the thought before she was pointing her zanpakuto at his skin.

'If you touch me again,' she spoke, her voice as cold as her prickling reiatsu, 'I will forcibly remove both your arms from your body before you even draw breath.'

Startled by the threat, but clearly terrified, Rukia lowered her blade and walked away from him. She refused to meet anyone else's eyes and did not stop to speak to her brother. The entire situation had bothered more than she'd care to admit and she wasn't in the mood for dealing with the nobleman when she just wanted to be alone.

Rukia made her way back to her division, taking the long scenic route through the Seireitei to clear her mind. Her suppressants hid her scent well, if it had been on full force she'd likely be leaking _ode de pissed off Omega_. She scrubbed a hand down her face in frustration and hadn't even realised that her legs were taking her through the edge of the Tenth Division until she recognised one of the large grass areas. There standing, silhouetted against the moon and looking so much more ravishing than anyone had a right to look, was Captain Hitsugaya.

'Captain Hitsugaya?' Rukia questioned, blinking because she hadn't honestly meant to come near him, but now that she thought about it, perhaps she was subconsciously trying to follow his scent.

'Captain Kuchiki,' his voice was colder than usual and Rukia blinked in confusion. She took a couple of steps toward him and sniffed the air curiously. He was upset; perhaps angry was the best word for it. His scent had a thicker tone to it, the flavour it only ever took when he was significantly annoyed with Rangiku but this felt much worse.

'What are you doing out here alone?' she decided to try and keep the flow of conversation up to see if she could work out what was bothering him.

For a long time he didn't reply. Rukia opened her mouth to ask him a further question but after several moments he seemed to gather his thoughts. His back was leaning against the thick trunk of a tree, his arms folded in front of him and one leg was bent at the knee with his foot also leaning against the trunk.

'I've become distracted recently,' he replied and Rukia worked hard to try and figure out how this was an answer to her question when he continued, 'I've been spending less time with my division which now needs my full attention now all the dead are accounted for.'

Rukia still tried to work out how this answered her question. Her face screwed in concentration but it wasn't helping her.

'I won't be able to continue our training for a while.'

His words hit her full force like he'd just slashed her with his zanpakuto.

'Oh,' she blinked in surprise, she hadn't realised she'd been taking up so much of his spare time?

'Have a pleasant evening,' without another word he pushed himself from the tree and in a slight breeze, was gone.

What the hell? Where the hell had that come from? Rukia's mind tried to focus hard on the outcome to this evening and how she'd been taking up so much of Captain Hitsugaya's time? She'd only seen him once a week for spars and they never lasted particularly long. Granted they had been getting longer and longer, and then there was the time she'd spent helping him dig graves for his troops. She failed to see how any of this would be considered a bad use of his time?

He'd said for a while, like he would resume them again at some point but his tone had been cold and indifferent, like he really didn't care when that time came and Rukia couldn't help be a little hurt by that thought.

Having suffered enough emotional turmoil for one day and not having the brain capacity to try and sift through the confusing turn of events with Captain Hitsugaya, Rukia decided to call it a night. She made her way quicker back toward her own living quarters and her nest. The thought of Captain Hitsugaya's scent no longer a comforting thought, but Rukia decided she could maybe get an answer to his odd behaviour from Rangiku when she next saw the busty blonde.

Rukia stripped quickly and hung her haori up then curled up in her nest and found that despite the coldness of his words and the events of the day that she still needed Captain Hitsugaya's scent to chase all others from her nose. Higashi's scent was still overbearing but the moment Rukia pulled the Captain's scarf under face to curl up against, all other Alpha scents were forgotten.

She'd figure everything else out in the morning.

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**Sorry for the way this one ended guys! Next week will maybe see a resolution? But what shape and form will it take? :o **

**As always your comments are very appreciated! I love reading them!**


	6. Revenge

**This one is a shorter interim chapter guys but I hope you enjoy it all the same :D Next week we return to usual chapter length! **

**Thanks again to FafaCute & that 1 Lady for your comments of the last chapter! **

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It turned out that Rukia couldn't figure everything out the next morning. In fact, even as the days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months she still hadn't figured out exactly what had gone wrong. Captain Hitsugaya seemed to be notably avoiding her. He was always absent when Rukia came by to check in on Rangiku and at Captain meetings he determinedly avoided eye contact. Even his busty blonde Lieutenant couldn't put her finger on why the Captain was acting so strangely. Rukia did have a feeling that Rangiku was keeping her actual thoughts hidden though and thus knew more than she was letting on.

'Let it go Rukia,' Rangiku sighed in exasperation. The two had become fast friends following the time spent in the healing springs together. 'Captain Hitsugaya is a puzzle that many women have tried and given up trying to figure out.'

Rukia closed her mouth, her retort lost on her tongue that she was in fact happy to try and continue pursuing the task. It seemed it was no use and Rangiku seemed to be getting a little annoyed by the topic constantly being brought up. Rukia could tell with the subtle shifts in her scent now that she'd come to know the tall strawberry blonde girl so well.

The months had trickled by and Rukia found her time to dwell on the matter was restricted. Next to her job as a Captain and her brothers constant attempts at trying to set her up the Omega felt like she was going out of her mind.

He'd introduced her to three noble Alpha's since the Captaincy disaster. They were all an improvement on Higashi but none of them piqued her interest. In fact Rukia was often perturbed by their appearances. Anytime she saw her brother walking toward her with another man in tow, Rukia had taken to ducking away or hiding.

Byakuya was a smart man and had caught on quickly, so instead invited the guests over during their own private dining time at his manor. This was harder to ignore as Rukia genuinely loved spending time with her brother, she just wished she didn't have to do so with a third party at the table. News of these attempts had started to spread around the Seireitei and she'd gained a somewhat unwanted reputation of being updateable.

What wasn't helping her situation was the fact that Captain Hitsugaya's scent had started to fade from the items in her nest. It was honestly stressing her out. Rukia hadn't realised how much she required that scent to help her feel grounded and safe. The fact that she had to shove the fabric of his towel right into her face to even catch the last hints of it were causing her distress. That distress seemed to leak into her daytime work, she'd become more irritable and snapped at people more easily, always apologising profusely for it after.

In particular it seemed to be poor Daiki and Maki who had taken the worst of her souring moods. They always put a smile on their faces though and accepted her apologies with grace, but Rukia could see the concern in their eyes and knew without needing proof that they discussed her moods behind her back.

With all this tumbling through her mind, you could imagine how shocked and annoyed she was to find a written note on her desk that evening summoning her to continue the sparring lessons. The letter hadn't even been written by Captain Hitsugaya, Rukia recognised the elegant scrawl of her new best girlfriend Rangiku and how the words seemed hopeful. Like Rangiku was just as happy that this was set to continue, but Rukia wasn't happy.

She wasn't happy that he hadn't come to speak to her face to face instead, she wasn't happy that he'd left it so long, she wasn't happy that he'd made his lieutenant write the note and she certainly wasn't happy that he assumed she'd drop everything and come running the moment he told her too.

Rukia did of course, attend the date and time he'd put on the letter. She'd thought for ages about denying, stating she was too busy but a huge part of her, the Omega part, wanted to see him again. She was also curious as to how he'd address the situation when she finally did get to see him in person again.

But Captain Hitsugaya had decided not to address the situation, he didn't even apologise for the fact it had been so long. In fact he barely looked at Rukia when she turned up punctual for their sparring match.

'Are you ready?' he'd asked and Rukia barely had time to even register that they weren't going to have the discussion she'd been gearing herself up for before he was upon her, Hyorinmaru swinging around hard to try and catch her off guard from the left. Rukia went on the defensive instantly, she was out of practice but found it was easy to bring her reiryoku to the front as she'd been working on before. Just as she was out of practice with her blade, he was out of practice with her movements. Rukia's reiryoku instantly became a distraction for him, his eyes watching her movements for a fraction longer than was really necessary before responding to them. Rukia used the battle, which lasted longer than any of their previous ones, to really push him. She was angry and frustrated and, though she hadn't voiced it to anyone, hurt. She couldn't believe that he'd taken so long to resume their training nor the way he'd treated her during their break.

If he sensed that she was using the battle to vent her frustrations he didn't mention anything. In fact he didn't speak at all during their battle, which only ended the moment she caught Hyorinmaru in a downward jab and with the grace of an Omega, spun the blade from the Captains hands. He blinked dumbly down at his empty hand when her blade appeared at his neck, she stayed there breathing heavy, her eyes on his exposed throat. Rukia had always assumed he had paler skin than hers, but she was wrong. His skin had a more olive tone, perhaps because he spent much of his time outside in the sun doing the same manual work as the rest of his division. Her eyes travelled down to his scent glands, the skin looked normal, but just above his collarbones was where the patch of slightly lighter skin sat. It glistened with sweat, carrying his scent thickly into the air. His Adams apple was bobbing as he swallowed, aware she hadn't yet lowered her zanpakuto and debated for a moment about giving him a little nook of her blade tip to remind him never to piss her off again.

Before she could entertain the thought though, he'd raised his hand and wrapped it around her blade, as if sensing his throat was now in danger.

'Good match,' his voice was as cold as his reiatsu. She snorted at him and pulled Shirayuki back reluctantly.

He pushed himself to his feet and Rukia waited, waited for him to say something more. The Captain walked over to pick up his zanpakuto and kept his back to her. Rukia wanted to scream at him in frustration, she wanted to throw something at him or punch him, he was infuriating her.

Without a backward glance he walked off in the direction of the showers and Rukia's mouth fell open. That was it? _That _was it? He wasn't even going to look at her?

The hurt and anger inside bubbled furiously and before she knew what she was doing she was stalking behind him. At first she was going to grab him, shake him, do anything to hurt him but then another thought crossed her mind. A much more evil thought.

Keeping her steps light and her reiatsu under control she prowled into the building behind him, taking care not to be seen. She followed the swish of his haori as he entered a door to the changing rooms and waited patiently outside, counting to ten minutes in her head. Rukia knew this was insane and risky, but she couldn't stop the feeling of rage licking at her throat like anger. Slipping into the room, she glanced around, gently closing the door behind her. The sound of water slapping tiles rung around the enclosed space, and to her right where the wall jutted out she could see the steam coruscating in the pale light. Rukia took a tentative step forward and her eyes fell on her prize. Captain Hitsugaya had left his clothes neatly folded on a bench along with his zanpakuto. With a wicked grin, Rukia took all his clothes.

She left him with nothing. Not even his underwear to cover his modesty and she did not feel the slightest bit of remorse for it as she fled the crime scene. In fact, Rukia thought she was a genius, laughing manically to herself as she flew through the streets and toward her own private living quarters, not pausing long enough for anyone to question the weird bulge in her uniform.

It was the best damn revenge ever.

True, it would be likely people would work out he was an Alpha if they ever saw him naked, but was that Rukia's problem? Nope.

He should have thought about that before he ignored her. No one ignores Rukia Kuchiki.

Rukia's smug smile continued as she quickly showered and then returned to her own office.

The change in her mood must have been quite the contrast as Daiki kept side glancing at her from his spot on the floor of the office. He'd offered to help her with the final bits of paperwork and Rukia had agreed, feeling that the practice would be good for him whenever he was ready to take over as a Lieutenant. If he was curious, he didn't ask. Clearly the mental gleam in her eye was enough to scare him off the topic and instead they worked in companionable silence for a while until there was a knock at the door.

'Come in,' Rukia called without looking up from her paperwork. The door slid open and there was the shuffling of papers as Daiki stood up.

'Good evening Lieutenant Matsumoto,' Daiki said, bowing politely.

'Hello Daiki,' the strawberry blonde woman grinned at him and he blinked, clearly shocked that she knew his name. 'Do you mind if I have a private word with your Captain?'

Despite the instruction coming from a Lieutenant his eyes shifted to Rukia first, allowing her the chance to keep him there if she wished. Rukia smiled and nodded her head and with another low bow he swept from the room.

'He's charming isn't he?' Rangiku said watching after him and Rukia felt a protective stab in her chest.

'He's dating Maki,' she said quickly which caused Rangiku to laugh and toss her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder.

'So, my Captain was shouting at me about two hours ago, do you know why?'

'No idea,' Rukia rolled her eyes, Captain Hitsugaya shouted at Rangiku all the time, usually for lack of work or disrespect.

'Because he believes that I stole his clothes while he was showering,' she said it so casually and when Rukia glanced up she knew that Rangiku spotted the guilty look in her eyes. She hadn't even thought about the prospect of someone else getting in trouble for the _innocent _prank she'd decided to play.

'Sorry,' Rukia admitted and Rangiku laughed. It seemed she had been having a hard time stopping herself from the moment she entered the office.

'No you're not,' Rangiku said finally, flopping down on the sofa and eyeing the work that Daiki had been doing with distaste. 'It was brilliant, the office was the closest place to the barracks so he fled there with nothing but a towel to cover himself. I don't think he even expected me to be in the office because let's face it, I never am.'

Rukia pursed her lips to stop a gleeful smile spreading across her features. She had several images of what that scene must have looked like.

'The moment he entered I stared at him and he stared back and then he started shouting when I started laughing at him,' Rangiku was laughing again from her spot on the couch, her arm flung over her eyes and a wide grin on her face as she recounted the tale, 'he seems to think it was my fault. I managed to convince him it was Ishii, the girl that's been crushing on him ever since she joined. I told him she probably took his clothes to try and figure out if he was an Alpha or not.'

Rukia continued to grin as she watched Rangiku from her chair, the ink bottle on her desk was now sealed as she had no intention of continuing her work now that she was being entertained so thoroughly.

'He was too embarrassed to go and punish her to her face though, he's a very private man, so it's probably the first time anything like this has ever happened to him. I'm just sorry I didn't think about it sooner, it was a wonderful prank.' Rangiku removed her arm and turned sideways, propping her head on her arm instead, 'what inspired it?'

'He pissed me off,' Rukia shrugged and turned back to her paperwork, shuffling the papers and stacking them away for the night.

'"He pissed you off,"' Rangiku repeated back, raising a beautifully kept eyebrow at her.

'Yeah, he doesn't speak to me for months then when he does, it's through a note that he didn't even have the audacity to write himself,' Rangiku looked a little guilty at this, 'then when I show up to spar him, there's no apology or anything he barely acknowledges my existence. He's lucky I didn't stab him.'

Rukia could feel the anger bubbling back inside her chest from simply retelling how she'd felt at the time. All the hurt and rejection washed over her in waves and Rangiku seemed to be able to read it on her face.

'I'm sorry I shouldn't have wrote the note for him, I should have told him to come and see you face to face like a man.' Rangiku sighed.

'Yeah well maybe he isn't one,' Rukia snapped, knowing she was just being mean for the sake of being mean now but not really caring that much to try and contain her emotions, 'at one point I genuinely thought about drawing blood, so he's lucky.'

'I think he'd have preferred that if I'm being honest,' Rangiku replied, 'he's used to being stabbed, slashed, cut, but not the sheer embarrassment of having to run through his own division completely exposed.'

'Then I'm glad I didn't cut him,' Rukia huffed, 'I just wish someone had been there to film it so I could get a lot more entertainment out of the situation.'

Silence followed this sentence and Rangiku continued to study Rukia who was looking pointedly away from her.

'Was revenge the only reason you did it?' she asked, 'what did you do with his clothes?'

It was Rukia's turn to feel embarrassed now, the flush climbing up her neck and across her cheeks before she could stop herself. Rangiku understood right away what this meant.

'They're in your nest?' she guessed.

Instead of answering Rukia just made an affirmative huff, there really was no point in lying to Rangiku Matsumoto because when it came to gossip she could sniff it out with practiced ease.

'Are we going to talk about the insane crush you have on my Captain? Or are we still ignoring it?' she asked it so casually and Rukia groaned and put her head down on the desk. 'Still ignoring it, understood.'

The two women were silent for a while after that, when Rukia couldn't stand the silence anymore she spoke.

'I hope he didn't give you into too much trouble?' Rukia asked sheepishly as her bleary eyes glanced up at the clock. It was well after dinner time and she realised she was perhaps overdoing the hours in a bid to prove herself as Captain.

'He gave me into so much trouble,' Rangiku sighed, 'but it was hard to take him seriously when he was standing wearing a towel.'

Rukia laughed nervously at the image and pushed herself to her feet, collecting some of her belongings from around the desk. Rukia had paperwork that needed to be signed by a couple of the division Captains including Captain Hitsugaya. She'd shoved it under her other paperwork vowing to do it later and though she could just send Daiki off to do it for her, she felt like it was a cop out and for some reason Captain Hitsugaya would think so too. Rukia wanted to show she was better than him, braver than him, who gave Rangiku the job of sending Rukia a message.

With her desk cleared Rukia made her way over to the door, calling on Rangiku to come out to dinner with her as way of an apology. Understanding that she wasn't out from under the woman's thumb yet about her nesting habits Rukia decided not to take a chance and have her question her in an open restaurant where anyone could overhear. Instead she ordered takeout and led Rangiku back to her own living quarters instead.

When the door swung open Rangiku looked around, peering into the main living space where the room was dominated by a bed instead of couches for people to sit on.

'That's your nest?' she asked, her eyes large and inquisitive. Rukia decided she didn't mind Rangiku being near it, she found comfort in the older woman's scent and was sure that the closer she came to her heat the more likely she'd be to steal some of Rangiku's clothing for it too.

'Yeah, it's easier if it's here, it's closer to the bathroom and kitchen,' Rukia said.

Rangiku looked around in fascination, her nostrils flaring at the scent. In this room, Rangiku would be able to smell that Rukia was an Omega, even if the nest didn't give her away. During the night suppressants wore off and she had to take new ones in the morning that took at least ten minutes to hide her scent. That coupled with a good shower with scent masking soap helped set Rukia up for her day. However in her bed at night, Rukia's scent would flow freely and though it had been months since she'd had a heat and hadn't nested with these items during a heat yet, the smell would still be incredibly obvious.

'You have a nice scent,' Rangiku said with a sheepish grin, following Rukia toward the kitchen where she started to pull boxes and chopsticks out and hand them off to Rangiku.

'Thanks,' Rukia hadn't really thought about her scent before, in fact she'd never ever given it any thought at all, but now that it had been brought to the forefront of her mind she had a brief moment of panic around whether or not Captain Hitsugaya would like her scent. Rukia quickly shook herself, because in order for him to even smell it, he'd have to be around her nest or around her when she wasn't wearing suppressants.

'What's on your mind?' Rangiku asked, her chopsticks poised in front of her mouth before taking a bite.

'Nothing,' Rukia quickly said.

'You think I can't smell Captain Hitsugaya all over your nest?' Rangiku giggled, 'when are you going to tell him you have feelings for him?'

Rukia knew there was a risk this conversation would come up again which is exactly why she didn't want to be talking about it in the middle of a public space.

'Look, it's just a crush it will go away. We have very compatible reiatsu, not only because we're Alpha and Omega but also because we're both Ice elemental shinigami.' Rukia explained, 'it will go away.'

'When?' the question was asked innocently enough but Rukia could see the twinkle in Rangiku's eyes that told her Rangiku didn't think it would ever go away.

'I don't know,' Rukia narrowed her eyes at her, 'soon.'

'Have you ever thought of… pursuing the feelings instead?' she asked.

'What do you mean?'

Rangiku rolled her eyes in exasperation.

'I mean did you ever think that maybe my Captain was having similar thoughts?' she clarified. Rukia stared at her dumbly, because she'd never really entertained that thought at all. Why would Rangiku even raise it if there wasn't an element of truth that she'd observed?

'Tell me what you know,' Rukia gave the instruction and pushed her dinner away, ready to give Rangiku her full attention. The taller Lieutenant seemed to bubble excitedly in her seat at the prospect, like she'd been waiting for Rukia to ask her all about this.

'Well since you two started sparring he's been distracted in the office, he'll score lines of paperwork out and redo them and stop with a frown on his face like he's analysing something really difficult. At one point after your spar he just thudded his head against the desk and didn't move for a good ten minutes. I think that was after you bested him in the first fight for your Captaincy. He was miserable and sombre during the months where you weren't sparring and that is when I realised he'd obviously been looking forward to them.

'Now when I look back on it, he actually got excited just before you two would spar and barely able to focus after to get any paperwork done. I think eventually he just gave up with that routine and following a spar with you he'd go out and do repairs instead, like he needed some kind of physical work to get rid of all his pent up frustration.'

It was all said so quickly that Rukia felt a little overwhelmed and wished she'd pressed Rangiku more for information before.

'Why didn't you tell me any of this before?' Rukia asked, frowning as she remembered the months where Rangiku had seemed like she was keeping information from her.

'Well, I wasn't really sure, I thought maybe I'd keep an eye on his behaviour in case there was something else causing it but no,' she shook her head, 'it was definitely you.'

Rukia swallowed and contemplated. The images she'd been imagining in her mind of dates and evenings spent together with the Captain now seemed closer, less hazy around the edges and more real. Would the reality be as good as fantasy? Was it ever? Was she better off being left to simply imagine instead of actually pursuing this? What of her brother? What about her status as a noble woman?

Rukia could feel warmth flowing through her, like the Omega part of herself was trying to persuade the rest that this was worth finding out more information about. The other part of her reminded the Omega side that he'd ignored her for months and sent a note that wasn't even hand written by himself and the flush of anger helped ground Rukia's mind. She was still furious with him for that.

'Let's change the topic,' Rukia said finally, rubbing her head as a dull throb started in the back of it. Rangiku seemed a bit reluctant, clearly wanting as much info from Rukia as she could but finally she agreed and they moved on to speak about the newly appointed Lieutenants.

Before Rangiku departed that night she made an offering to Rukia, holding out her pink scarf which was scented heavily with the woman's comforting scent. Rukia couldn't believe it, other than her brother and Ichigo, she'd never ever had offerings for her nest being given to her before. She took it and thanked the older woman with a tight hug before Rangiku was off bounding into the night, and slept more soundly that night surrounded by Captain Hitsugaya's scent and the strawberry Lieutenants.

The next day, Daiki reminded her that she had paperwork that needed to be signed by some of the other Captains. He casually offered to do it again for her, like he understood her relationship with squad ten was in a tricky place but she turned down his offer with a smile. Rukia would have to speak to Captain Hitsugaya eventually and she may as well do it as part of work.

Tucking the paperwork into a folder she set off and knocked on the familiar office to hear the familiar call of the familiar icy voice.

'Come in,' he sounded moodier than usual and that was saying something. Rukia had decided on the way over that she was going to be as cold and distant with him as he had been with her during their months of no communication. She slid the door open and without looking at him or greeting him walked towards his desk pulling the paperwork out from under her arm.

'These need your signature,' she made her voice cold and distant and he seemed taken aback. His eyes searched her face when she finally did meet his gaze, and he held a hand up uncertainly for the papers.

Without another word, she thrust them into his hand and he blinked bringing them down to look at them. They were standard forms and his brows furrowed, his eyes sweeping over them and his mouth snapping shut like he'd been on the verge of saying something but didn't really know what to say. Rukia felt his eyes on her face again as she glanced out the window.

'How are you getting on since you took over as Captain?' he asked and Rukia felt another flare of anger in her chest because that should have been a question he asked her months back, or at least last week with their spar.

'Fine,' the reply was icy cold and he faltered where his pen was dipped into the ink pot, he glanced up at her and she stared back at him. Her gaze was set and her hands folded across her chest, her body language closed off.

His finger hovered above the page for a moment, the frown returning between his brows and he seemed to be thinking hard. Then the brush was returned to the ink pot, but he hadn't signed a thing.

'What's wrong?' his voice sounded unsure, like a husband asking out of necessity rather than actually wanting to know the answer but when Rukia met his gaze his eyes were set, resolute.

'Nothing,' she said firmly.

He continued to watch her, his eyes narrowed but his fingers did not return for his ink brush. Rukia raised a questioning brow at him, her eyes flicking between his face and his ink pot.

'Are you going to sign the paperwork Captain or waste my time?' she managed to get more ice into her tone than she was used to and he almost flinched back from her. His brow furrowed deeper as he tried to work out what was going on.

'I will sign when you talk to me,' he finally stated, his voice even and smooth, his own arms folding on the desk in front of him.

'Oh I'm sorry,' Rukia snapped before she was able to check herself, 'I didn't realise you wanted to talk to me.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well I don't know, you ignore me for months without an explanation then you have your Lieutenant write me a note to continue sparring and then you barely acknowledge me. Gosh,' she raised a hand to her forehead in sarcasm, 'I wonder what could possibly be wrong.'

Captain Hitsugaya sighed at her tone and raised a hand to his temple to rub it, like she was a cause of great stress for him which only caused her to bristle further with indignation.

'I'm sorry,' he said and she closed her mouth because that had not been the response she'd been expecting.

'What?' she asked, mostly just because she wanted to hear him say it again.

'I am sorry,' he sat back in his chair but eventually stood up, his height now a few inches taller than hers. He'd been growing more and more since he'd achieved his bankai's final form. The Captain walked around the desk toward her.

'I should have spoken to you properly sooner, I am sorry.'

'Why didn't you?' Rukia asked before she could stop herself, her voice coming out a little more pathetic with longing than what she'd have liked.

He seemed to decide his next words very carefully, his lips pressed together as he leaned against his desk, his arms folded across his chest. His scent was almost suffocating in the small space and it was taking all of Rukia's self-control not to react to it.

'Your brother has been setting you up with other Alphas,' he eventually said and Rukia blinked at his choice of wording.

'Why would that bother you?' she frowned and he rubbed a hand down his face, he seemed to be getting agitated with the topic and he walked the length of the space toward the window which was close to her. As he passed she wrinkled her nose and made a noise.

He was _stinking_.

His scent which she normally loved was being fisted down her throat, like it was clinging to dirty rags of fabric that hadn't been cleaned in days. He seemed to realise and quickly stepped back, a faint pink dust appearing on his cheeks.

'Ah, forgive me, I seem to have been losing all my spare haori's recently,' he shook his head and Rukia pursed her lips, realising that she was responsible for two of them going missing. His thick scent was catching at the back of her throat though and spreading heat down her body and she knew she'd need to get out of there soon or risk falling into an early heat cycle. Normally she wasn't this responsive to scents. The window was thrown open and the air helped, she gulped down deep breaths of it and tried her question again.

'Why would that bother you?' she asked again, aware she was now breathing through her mouth instead of her nose to avoid his scent.

'Are you feeling okay?' he seemed determined to avoid her question and Rukia glared at him, but realised that she must be reacting to his scent. His brows were furrowed in the middle, a look of concern on his pale visage. Rukia swallowed, she could feel the heat moving up and down her spine, rolling, like it did when she was in a cycle and she realised she had to leave.

Rukia hated the idea of turning and walking away from this conversation because she felt like she could get his walls down, make him open up to her if she were permitted more time with him. He reached out with his fingers and this time Rukia didn't pull away as they made contact with her skin. Toshiro swept the strands from her forehead and placed his cool hand against her skin.

It was the first time he'd touched her so tenderly and Rukia closed her eyes leaning into his icy touch.

'You're heating up,' there was a frown in his voice and Rukia fought back a resounding purr, her entire body aching to cuddle up to him, to breathe in his scent until she came undone, to let him know what she was.

'I have to go,' Rukia summoned all the strength in her body to pull herself back and away from his touch. Toshiro's face was still clouded with apprehension, but he did nothing to stop her retreat. 'I'm not feeling very well.'

'I shall escort you,' he offered, taking a step forward and Rukia quickly shook her head. She did not need him coming that close to her nest, because then she really _would _give the game up and beg him to spend the night.

'No, it's fine really, it's a known medical condition,' she flinched as she made up a quick excuse, 'it flares up from time to time, I'll be fine in the morning.' She turned to leave and he softly called her name out as if he couldn't stand to see her go.

'Goodbye Toshiro,' she shut the door and as the fresh air of the day whisked his scent away Rukia's mind cleared. She continued to gulp the cool clear air down her lungs, forcing back the convulsions which were threatening her strained muscles. Rukia made a quick decision to move before he came out looking for her and found her legs taking her off in the direction of Squad Four instead of her own private quarters.

Her suppressants were still in effect and no one would be able to smell her, she had a bit of time now that her head was clear and she wanted to speak with Captain Kotetsu as soon as possible to try and establish what was going on.

Maybe Captain Kotetsu could stop it.

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**If you're enjoying this fic please leave me a review to let me know :D **


	7. Discovery

**Another massive thanks to those of you who have reviewed the chapters! Thanks to that 1 lady, FafaCute and Anon for reviewing the last chapter :D **

**that 1 lady: they become more of a mess here hahaha **

**FafaCute: Yes only Rukia's POV for this fic anyway, however keep an eye on the epilogue chapter 9 ;) **

**Anon: Nope she didn't mean to and said it before he could respond leaving the office, in this chapter you see the transition more fully :D**

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Rukia made her way quickly through the Seireitei heading in the direction of squad four. She had no appointment to meet with Captain Kotetsu but just hoped the women could find time to see her in such short notice. It felt like her blood was on fire, like every single nerve was firing signals they had no right to be firing. Rukia gritted her teeth against the feeling, her body unusually hot and the humid air that bounced back from the rooftops as she flash stepped over them did nothing to ease her discomfort.

Rukia did her best to ignore the way her body was behaving but she had to pause for a moment, perched on top of one of the roofs to regain her breathing before continuing. This was insane, she'd made this journey a million times in her long life and yet she seemed to be struggling with it today. Relief washed over her the moment she landed in front of the door to the squad four infirmary.

'Captain Kuchiki,' a squad four member bowed lowly the moment she entered.

'Good afternoon,' Rukia tried to keep the breathlessness from her voice as she spoke, but was well aware of her appearance, flushed and sweaty, 'is Captain Kotetsu here?'

'She-um, she's out to lunch I believe, I can give her a message or if you'd like to wait in her office?' the stricken young brunette said as she fumbled with a bit of paper and ink pot on the front desk.

'I shall wait for her in the office,' Rukia nodded and straightened up.

'I shall tell her you're waiting the moment she's back,' the officer bowed low to Rukia and Rukia turned to make her way down the familiar corridors towards the Captains office and examination room. Rukia closed the doors behind her and leaned her head against them. The cool metal was soothing to her flushed face as she tried to process what was happening.

She was smart, it didn't take a genius to work out she was reacting to Captain Hitsugaya's scent. It had been so potent, so thick, it was like a branding iron on the sensitive skin of the back of her throat. Rukia tried to swallow around it, but the scent still clung to the back of her throat. She turned her head and pressed her temple against the metal, hoping she'd hear feet on the other side before the door was thrown open or risk being struck by the large hunk of metal.

Several long moments went by and eventually the room seemed to stop spinning, she hadn't even realised it had been until she made to move away from the door and had to put an arm out to steady herself. Rukia got a glass of water from the sink and cooled it in her hand before downing it and that's when the door behind her finally opened.

'Rukia?' Isane's voice broke the tension instantly and without worrying about titles and duties, Rukia relaxed, realising that this was her friend who was worried and confused about her visit.

Her pale eyebrows were furrowed in concern and her eyes were quickly scanning Rukia's face for sign of distress, of which she likely saw plenty.

'What's going on? Are you okay? Come and sit down.' Rukia allowed herself to be guided to the chair and Isane made a fuss over her before pulling out some equipment that included a thermometer and blood pressure machine.

'I don't know,' Rukia answered honestly, 'I think I am reacting to Captain Hitsugaya's scent.'

Captain Kotetsu faltered as she wrapped the arm strap around Rukia's arm.

'You know he's…?'

'An Alpha? Yes I know,' Rukia nodded and knew that of course Isane would have this knowledge, given she was now in charge of seeing the medical paperwork for all the Captains and Lieutenants of the Seireitei.

'I knew you two were training together, I was going to raise my concerns about it to you but I decided you'd know the dangers already so why bother telling you something you already knew?' she wasn't saying it in an accusatory way, but simply factual.

Rukia watched the little blood pressure machine beep away and watched the furrow on Isane's eyes deepen as she pursed her lips. Rukia was good at reading facial expressions, some souls were cold and impassive like her brother, so Rukia had learned to pick up on even the most subtle of them. Isane seemed concerned but wasn't yet ready to vocalise it to Rukia until she done some further checks.

'Well it's as we feared,' Isane sighed as she glanced down at another little machine, 'you are reacting to his scent, and badly.'

'How long do I have?' Rukia asked with the air of someone who was given a cancer diagnosis.

'Maybe a couple of weeks? It's hard to say, it's definitely coming soon though,' the taller woman moved to open the large safe behind her desk.

'A couple of weeks?' Rukia groaned her head falling back against the chair.

'We could double up on your suppressants but we're just going to be delaying the inevitable.'

'Is there another way?' Rukia brought her head up to look at Isane. She knew the older woman would have likely done all kinds of research into Omega's after finding out that Rukia was one, alas the Captain shook her head.

'Not to my knowledge, you either need to stay away from him or mate with him, those are the only two options I can see or risk falling into a heat every couple of months. But the more time you spend around him you could be looking at weekly heats, depending on the level of physical attraction there.'

Rukia tried not to blush at that but instead groaned at the knowledge. She couldn't stay away from him now that she was Captain, they had to work together and she'd never even considered that an issue before now.

'If he found a mate and bonded with her then his scent wouldn't impact you as much, he's trying to attract a mate just as much as you even with neither of you consciously wishing for it,' Isane spoke, but then her mouth seemed to tick up at the corner, 'or maybe you are wishing for it?'

Rukia couldn't stop the flush this time, it crept up her chest and out over her face, betraying her words.

'No of course I don't,' Rukia tried to sound convincing but judging by the slightly knowing twinkle in Captain Kotetsu's eyes, she hadn't fooled the older woman at all.

'Well unfortunately I don't see any other way Rukia I am sorry,' she didn't sound it though as she sat down and watched Rukia with a flicker of amusement.

'What's so funny?' Rukia could feel her temper getting the better of her now, likely due to the hormones raging through her body.

'I was just thinking how adorable a little ice child of you and Captain Hitsugaya's would be, and how powerful too,' she laughed after saying it aware that it was completely out of order and unbecoming of her rank but unable to help herself. Rukia reacted, coughing and spluttering, her flush deepening as the image flashed in her mind too. A child with little fat fists and large teal eyes and white hair and Rukia could feel a flood of affection for the non-existent being.

'Captain Kotetsu!' Rukia scolded and the other Captain at least had the audacity to apologise.

'Please forgive me,' she chuckled, 'I am very sorry, that was rude.'

'That was,' Rukia let her brows furrow together but she still couldn't seem to shake the image from her mind, especially not now that the small chubby boy seemed to have an older sister, insisting to take care of him.

Trying her best to refocus her mind she let a cold hard glare cross the room to Captain Kotetsu who flushed in her own embarrassment.

'Well then I'll just have to stay away from him,' Rukia said, hoping her voice was more convincing on the outside than it sounded in her own head.

The other Captain nodded slowly and Rukia could feel the disapproval of her choice inside her own body, like her heart was attempting to remove itself from her chest so it wouldn't have to follow her orders. This was absurd, this was nothing but hormones talking surely. She'd not have been so interested in the Captain if he wasn't an Alpha.

'_I wouldn't be so sure,'_ Shirayuki spoke in the back of her head, and Rukia could see Captain Hitsugaya so clearly in her mind. His smooth pale features looked like they were carved from marble, impossibly perfect. Maybe he was one of those Twilight vampires all the humans seemed to fawn over.

'_You're attracted to him even without his scent, and we have similar reiatsu,'_ Shirayuki continued.

Rukia could sense a very long conversation with her Zanpakuto on the horizon so she stood from the chair in the office and Captain Kotetsu rose too.

'Thank you for seeing me,' Rukia said stiffly and the other Captain nodded, not saying anything further, aware of how she'd already acted. Rukia turned on her heel toward the familiar large metal door and made her way back out and into the hot humid air of the Seireitei. Rukia leaned against one of the buildings for a while in a quiet alley, away from the guards, just trying to gather her thoughts.

'_You think I should pursue the feelings?' _she asked Shirayuki.

'_I think you should do what you want, without worrying what other people may think or say,'_ the zanpakuto responded. _'I think that when we work hard, do our job, help other people and aren't a burden then we deserve the chance to indulge in the things that make us happy.'_

Rukia contemplated on that, it still felt so selfish, even if she was completing her work. She had a whole division now relying on her and that thought terrified her.

'_Even Captains need to be happy,'_ Shirayuki complainted and Rukia relented. Her zanpakuto was correct of course, but with that came so many issues. She was a member of the noble Kuchiki house and would bear the soul responsibility of continuing the line.

The nobles would likely accept Captain Hitsugaya as a husband if they did end up together, he was a Captain and had done so much to prove his worth to the Seireitei, but Rukia could tell her brother Byakuya was not fond of the idea. How could she have a husband her brother didn't approve of? Rukia scoffed at herself, adjusting the strap which secured Shirayuki to her side. This was under the assumption that Captain Hitsugaya was even interested in her at all, which was of course, dangerously egotistical to assume.

'_He'd be crazy not to,'_ Shirayuki said at the back of her mind hopefully but Rukia tuned her out and eventually the zanpakuto fell silent again. Rukia tried not to focus on anything except moving her feet in the direction of her own division. She'd had more than enough excitement for one day and had to return to the last of her paperwork before turning in for the night. She decided to make that her primary focus.

By the time evening rolled around, Rukia's brain felt it had been rung through a ringer. She was finding it difficult to concentrate and regulating her body temperature she'd given up on entirely. With the window flung wide open, Rukia closed her eyes and rubbed them before glancing down at the final piece of paper on her desk, willing it to complete itself. She suddenly understood Rangiku's dismay over the blasted mass of paperwork, it felt like it was never ending.

Leaning back on her chair Rukia kept her eyes closed for a few moments, she wasn't tired, but her eyes were. Staring at bits of paper with heavy concentration for hours had left them needing just a small break.

'Captaincy too much for you?' the voice was amused and Rukia recognised it straight away. With a stab of longing and hatred for the way her body reacted to him, Rukia bit the inside of her lip.

'No actually, just puerile people keep interrupting me,' she spoke out to the room, her neck moving tight and awkward as her head was as far back as it would go. He chuckled a low throaty sound and then she heard him moving forward into the office. Rukia was determined to keep her eyes closed, not focusing at all on the sound of his feet as he walked in.

'Sometimes I need to take a moment to rest my eyes as well,' his voice was lower now, further away but softer spoken. Thankfully Rukia couldn't smell him, she opened her eyes to check and see what he was wearing.

It shocked her to find him wearing Western clothing from the world of the living. He had a pair of tight dark blue jeans, stretched across the muscles of his legs like they had grown significantly since the last time he'd worn them. He had a blue button down shirt on, the skin of his chest exposed and his collarbones on full display. It took everything Rukia had to draw her eyes back to his and not stare at him.

'Forgive my attire,' he grimaced like he was annoyed at how he was dressed, 'I had to wash my only haori and this was all I could find that would fit.' He seemed exasperated by this but Rukia couldn't help think that world had received a favour it wasn't due for the sight.

'That's okay,' Rukia replied, her zanpakuto prodding her and reminding her to respond, 'I saw you dressed like this in the world of the living anyway.' He shot her a stunning grin as he turned away from the table where he'd just been examining her magazines. Rukia tried not to let her breath catch in her throat but it was difficult. Now that the hormones were pumping back through her system she couldn't deny at all how breathtakingly handsome he was.

'That's what I was banking on,' he nodded and Rukia blinked stupidly, having forgotten exactly what they'd just been talking about. Captain Hitsugaya moved around her desk and Rukia burst out laughing. The jeans were much too short, she hadn't been able to see his feet before but now that she could, she could see they were more like three quarter lengths than actual jeans.

'Don't laugh,' he whined, but his voice sounded amused, like he didn't really mind the sound of her laughing at him. 'I grew a lot since that last trip to the world of the living.'

Rukia really tried her best to stop the laughter but it was hard now that it had started. She felt like a giddy teenage girl. She had to remember she was responsible for the fact he had no clothing, and it was very difficult to draw any kind of remorse for these actions.

'Rukia,' he whined and leaned across the desk toward her causing her to slam back to reality with all the force knocked out of her lungs. She blinked dumbly up at him, her mouth open and her laughter forgotten. His own smile faltered and slipped from his lips. Captain Hitsgaya leaned back, away from the desk like he'd maybe offended her by coming too close.

'Rukia?' this time it was a question and she just stared. That's twice he'd now said her name, not her title and last name, but her first name.

'You said my name,' she pointed out like an idiot but having to understand the significance of this. Captain Hitsugaya never called anyone by their first name… except Rangiku. It was so unlike him. Then again it was also unlike him to dress in human world clothing and she realised that was obviously still so much more to him that she didn't know.

'Sorry?' he seemed to catch himself, his eyebrows pinching together in a furrow, 'was that wrong of me? Rangiku calls you that all the time I guess I must have been talking to her about you a lot and I just forgot my place-'

Rukia let his ramble fade into the background of her mind as he focused on the first part. Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya spoke about her a lot? Rangiku hadn't mentioned that! Had that just been a recent occurrence or had this been going on for a while now? Suddenly Rukia wanted answers and vowed to make a point of catching up with Rangiku the next day to find out exactly what she'd been talking to Captain Hitsugaya about.

'Captain?' he sounded unsure of himself now and Rukia quickly shook her head. The word felt awful coming from his mouth after she'd heard the beauty of her first name fall from his lips.

'Rukia is fine,' she confirmed, 'sorry, it's been a long day.'

'Oh, well that's alright,' he took another hesitant step toward her desk, this time he didn't place his hands on it or lean over it. 'Can I help with anything?'

'I'm almost done,' she smiled but now that he was closer she could catch his scent, so warm and familiar and she realised with a sigh she'd have to dismiss him soon.

'What's wrong?' he asked, clearly sensing the tension that just tightened her body at the thought.

'I can't spar with you again, until I'm feeling better,' she decided to put it as vaguely as possible.

'Well that's why I came by, to check on you, you didn't seem very well earlier this afternoon.'

'I'm fine,' she smiled and then grimaced at the look on his face. She knew she wasn't getting away without telling him something. 'Women problems.'

The excuse burst from her lips before she could stop it and then with a groan of mortification she realised she'd just made the two of them uncomfortable. Captain Hitsugaya seemed to take a moment then the flush was ghosting up his cheeks and down over his chest.

'Ah,' he said, obviously not quite sure what else to say.

'It's fine, it should be gone in a couple of weeks,' Rukia scowled at herself and he seemed to shoot her a glance.

'I thought it only lasted one?'

Rukia couldn't believe she was having this conversation with Captain Hitsugaya in her office, never had she ever wanted a wooden floor to open up and swallow her more fully than she did now.

'It's not that,' she mumbled sheepishly, 'related but not that.'

There was a spark of curiosity behind those large teal eyes but he knew better than to ask further questions. He wasn't stupid, he knew how female bodies worked, no doubt he'd have heard of all the pains and trepidations from his Lieutenant.

'Okay then, no sparring this week, but I expect to see you in my office on Saturday morning as a check in, so I know you're okay,' he had said it half like an order and half like a friend. Rukia could feel it warming her body and realised she was reacting to his scent again.

'Okay, 9am your office, Saturday morning,' she nodded her head, 'I will be there, but for tonight I must go.' She stood and gathered the last of the bits of paperwork into her bag. The sudden movement seemed to catch him by surprise and she felt bad when he moved awkwardly to the side to let her walk by him. Rukia held her breath as she passed.

'Oh, okay, 9am it is,' his voice faltered like he'd wanted to say something else but missed out on the courage because of her erratic behaviour. She couldn't blame him, it was very clear she was trying to escape even after he'd come all this way in normal dress just to see her. She felt awful, but if she stayed any longer she'd eventually reveal her whole damn secret to him and she just couldn't afford to do that.

Rukia just needed time to think and being in his presence wasn't allowing her that time. Waiting until Saturday morning would give her enough time to really think things over, come up with a good enough excuse that could permit her a chance to cut back their sparring. She could already see ideas forming in her mind, weekly spars were too much for her as a brand new Captain, her division now came first etc.

She was so wrapped up in it she almost walked away without saying goodbye and turned quickly at the last moment to find him standing still just outside her office watching after her.

'I'll see you Saturday,' she called, daring to draw breath now that she was out in the clear air. Standing outside the office door and highlighted by the light of a nearby lantern, he looked a lot younger, unsure of himself, awkward even. Captain Hitsugaya raised a hand, as if to wave her farewell but last moment it changed direction and he ran it through his hair instead with a sigh before he turned away.

'That was odd,' Rukia muttered to herself, reviewing the movement over again her mind as she made her way back to her personal living quarters.

'_He likes you,'_ Shirayuki said, _'I'm so sure of it.'_

As the week drew to its end, Rukia found her mood shifting through various stages. With a normal heat approaching, she'd expect to be a little moodier than usual, but decades of dealing with it she had it firmly under control. This time this heat was swinging at her out of nowhere, like a bat being swung at her face in a pitch black room. Several times Rukia had to catch herself before she made sly and often inappropriate comments under her breath.

Her anger felt like it was constantly bubbling just under the surface of her skin, but the feeling would diffuse into sadness and confusion at night. Her body couldn't seem to comprehend that there was no Alpha around.

Rukia did her best to supress the thoughts but at the end of a long evening her mind would be too tired to hold them back and she'd often find herself sitting with unnecessary feelings of abandonment that left her completely exhausted.

That was how she fell asleep on Friday night in her nest, surrounded by the things that smelled like the people she cared about, including Captain Hitsugaya.

When she woke, she woke slowly. The soft sun creeping along her nest toward her, but the covers and pillows felt cold, empty. Missing a second body and she groaned as she turned over. Rukia was torn between wanting to leave her nest because of the lack of a second person in it and wanting to stay in its partial warmth because she knew she was close to another heat. With another groan she rolled over and began to push herself up when all her senses instantly became alert.

'Rukia, are you okay?' a familiar voice called through her door and Rukia glanced at the clock on top of her side table. It showed the time to be well after 11am in the morning, she'd slept in much later than usual and completely forgotten her promise to meet Captain Hitsugaya early.

His voice came through the door, panicked and concerned.

'Rukia?' he knocked even harder now, 'I'm going to break this door down if you don't respond.'

With a yelp, Rukia fell out of her bed, she reached for a cover to wrap around herself since she preferred to nest in nothing but her underwear. She stood up and made to call out to him not to come in but her foot caught in the cover and she tripped falling to the hard wood flooring with a yelp of surprise.

'That's it!' he clearly had heard her call out and next thing she knew she was back on her feet, staring up into the eyes of Captain Hitsugaya. He'd really been serious about knocking her door down.

Time seemed to slow for a second, his gaze quickly taking in her position, wrapped in her bed sheets, dishevelled and then to the nest that she now stood beside. Confusion flickered in his face, quickly followed by understanding, his mouth falling open as all the metaphorical pieces clicked together in his mind. His nostrils were flaring at the scents, because of course she'd not taken her suppressants that morning, and in this room her scent was most potent.

'Shut the door,' Rukia hissed, realising it was too late to stop his discovery, but at the very least she could stop other passing by people from finding out. It took him longer than she'd like for him to snap out of his shock and turn to quickly close her door. He kept his back to her as he tried to splutter out an apology.

'I am so, so sorry,' his words were tumbling from his mouth and even without being able to see his face she could tell he was blushing madly, 'I didn't know, I was worried, you said nine and you'd not been keeping well and I assumed something had happened to you, something had happened to Rangiku once I had to help her and I just assumed that maybe-'

'Toshiro, it's alright,' Rukia felt a thrill at saying his name. It tasted good on her lips and she watched his back straighten, his head jerk as if he were about to turn around but thought better of it. She also realised that her words were true. This was fine, now he knew and things would be easier to explain to him.

'No it's not,' he insisted, 'I violated your personal space, and I'm really sorry, I promise I won't tell anyone.'

He sounded like he'd been about to say more but snapped his mouth shut and Rukia found herself smiling despite her embarrassment. There was an odd content feeling flushing through her body now that the Alpha she desired was in her personal space, it helped to eradicate the shyness she ought to have felt.

'Don't turn around,' she instructed, her own voice sounding amused. His legs tensed, like a soldier digging his heels into the muddied earth when his superior had given a command. Rukia tried not to laugh at him but slipped away into her bathroom with a change of clothes, leaving the covers discarded just outside. She trusted him, so didn't feel the need to lock the door and freshened up as quickly as she could over the sink, remembering to take her suppressants before she left. They still took time to kick in, but what was the point, he'd already likely smelled everything by this point anyway.

Rukia stepped out the bathroom some time later to find that Toshiro hadn't moved a muscle, in fact it didn't even look like his hair had moved at all despite the fan she had perched on her desk humming to and fro and fluttering the edge of the papers around it.

'Okay I'm decent,' she said and he turned slowly, carefully, his eyes still so full of his own embarrassment.

'Rukia I am really sorry-' he started but she cut him off holding a hand up and shaking her head.

'No it's fine, it's easier this way, I don't have to come up with a lame ass excuse and lie to your face about why I've been feeling off.' She was surprised to find that there was no embarrassment at all from her end as she said it, that was until his eyes flickered again to her nest.

'Wait…' he said, his brows furrowing, 'is that my…?'

'Ah,' Rukia could the heat climbing its way back up her neck and over her cheeks again, 'yes sorry, I may have repossessed a few of your belongings, but I had every intention of washing them and giving them back to you.'

'I thought you said you didn't need to lie to my face anymore?' the side of his mouth was ticked up in a dangerously sexy smirk as he said it and Rukia simply huffed in response because he was right. She'd had absolutely no plans whatsoever to return his things to him. In fact she'd likely just have acquired more over time.

'I didn't know, I didn't even suspect…' he seemed to be speaking more to himself now, but regardless he hadn't moved a single step closer into her personal space and that was drawing Rukia's attention more. She wanted him closer, the closer he got the more his scent would infuse in her surroundings, she could still smell Rangiku from the several times the woman had come to visit now.

'No point in being shy now,' Rukia gestured to him and he took a tentative step closer to the main room. 'You'll have questions I'm sure.'

'So many,' he breathed sheepishly like he was admitting a dark secret and then chuckled as he glanced around the room.

'Has Rangiku donated something to your nest?' he moved a little bit closer to it and Rukia nodded, putting the cover back down on the bed and adjusting things so it hid the majority of the belongings she'd stolen from him.

'I can smell her and-' something caught in his nose and she turned to look at him, his nostrils flared and his lips pulled back in a snarl. Rukia's mouth fell open, she'd seen Alpha's act aggressive before but never ever expected to see the look on Toshiro's face. Without any explanation, he'd reached forward and plucked a black t-shirt from the nest that Rukia recognised instantly.

It was Ichigo's t-shirt, the Alpha scent was still highly infused with it despite it having been so long since he'd given it to her. Without a word, Toshiro threw it into the corner of the room and the whole thing was iced over within seconds. Rukia watched with fascination, her lips pursed in amusement as Toshiro tried to compose himself and turned back as if he'd done nothing more than innocently swat a fly.

'Jealous?' Rukia asked, her hormones making her feel bold and relished in the dusting of red that reappeared momentarily on his cheeks.

'It was interrupting the feng shui you have in your nest,' his nose wrinkled again, like he was taking in every single scent in the air and analysing it all.

'You're going to have to explain that one to me, _Captain,_' Rukia purred the last word, leaning over her nest to try and catch his eyes, hoping her attempts at flirting wouldn't come across as awkward as they felt. It seemed to work, his dark teal eyes lifted for a fraction, his expression disorientated as his eyes fluttered in an attempt to clear his mind. It gave her some satisfaction that he was clearly reacting to her scent the same way Rukia always reacted to his, but she also understood that she only had around a dozen or so minutes left before the Omega part of her scent would fade away.

'My scent and Rangiku's,' he started to explain, 'always go together, so the fact she has things in your nest doesn't bother me.' He looked like he was admitting more than he actually wanted, and his mouth snapped shut for just a second.

'And your scent being in my nest doesn't bother you?' she pressed.

'Why is my scent in your nest?' he turned the tables on her quickly and Rukia blinked, realising her questions had backfired. She leaned back away from him, watching his eyes as they scanned her face searching for answers.

They were both dancing dangerously close to the topic now, the question would be, which one of them would open up first. The two Captains stared at each other from across the nest, both as stubborn as each other, neither willing to lose a battle even one as small as this.

Finally Rukia exhaled the breath she'd been holding, she was already in a very vulnerable state, making herself a little more vulnerable surely shouldn't hurt that much?

'The time we've been spending together,' she shrugged not meeting his eyes, 'how compatible our reiatsu and reiryoku are, I guess I just found myself drawn to you.'

She peaked up at him through her lashes to find a tender smile on his face. It was one of those rare sights, like the sunrise dancing across a clear ocean and she felt a little thrill that he seemed to reserve these timid smiles just for her.

'I've been feeling the same,' he nodded his head and glanced around the items of her nest, not being nosy but just clearly wanting to look away from her as he spoke, 'I thought I was losing my mind. Now I can see why I've been so drawn to you.'

'Are you only drawn to me because I'm an Omega?' Rukia asked calmly, preparing herself for the worst.

'No,' he adjusted Hyorinmaru and Rukia watched his hands before realising he was taking his zanpakuto off and leaning him against the wall. Curiously, she continued to watch as he shrugged off his clean haori. 'I didn't know until today what you were, I had assumed by your scent you were a standard Beta.'

'That didn't bother you?' she asked.

'Why would it? Most people in the Seireitei are standard Betas,' he was holding his haori awkwardly as he spoke and then he began to rubb the fabric against his wrists and his scent began to increase. The stimulation of the scent glands on the wrist were used for scenting objects, often for a nest. It was clear what he was doing and she blinked dumbly at him.

'But that's your last haori?' she reminded him, their previous conversation.

'I know,' the edges of his mouth quirked up in a smile again, 'and I can't think of a better place for it to be.'

Rukia's heart melted uselessly in her chest at his words, he must have heard the small whine at the back of her throat but he politely chose not to comment on it.

'Is there anything else you want me to scent?' he asked and she realised he was about to regret that question, as one by one Rukia started to hand him almost every item in her nest.

He chuckled, but obliged and worked mostly in silence now, the two of them clearly trying to understand the way their relationship was evolving. Rukia couldn't help but watch him, as she passed item after item to him then proceeded to place it back in her nest. In return he observed her nesting habits, how she'd meticulously build up the sides with pillows and covers woven between them. Rukia worked hard to ensure that the heavily scented parts of the items were facing inside her nest where she'd be able to smell them more once her heat hit.

It was a surprise her body wasn't trying to bring the heat on right now, now that the Alpha she adored was standing so close and helping to provide items for their- _her _nest.

'Is that everything?' he finally asked and Rukia felt a little guilty to see that his wrists looked red and raw by the end of it. Toshiro made no complaints at all, and his wrists still glistened, the scent glands still excreting in response to his task, the thick scent of winter jasmine, cedar and peppermint oil coating her entire nest and drowning out all others.

'I think so,' Rukia glanced around her nest and true enough he'd been handed everything that previously didn't hold a scent like Rangiku's scarf.

'Then I shall take my leave, I believe I've intruded enough in your private quarters,' he stood and reached for Hyorinmaru. It was odd seeing him in the black shihakusho without his Captain's haori.

Rukia wanted to inform him he was welcome to stay, but her mouth stuttered over the words because to speak them was to imply something else entirely and she knew they weren't there yet. Still she walked him over towards the door and as he opened it, he seemed to hesitate for a moment just inside.

'Take care Rukia, I'll see you soon?' she felt another thrill at him using her name, the feeling resounding up her spine and down to her toes, but she tried to keep her exterior calm.

'Yeah, as soon as I can,' she mumbled shyly and he seemed to nod, understanding without the need for words exactly where she was in her cycle. Rukia watched as Toshiro's eyes shifted over her shoulder for one last look at her nest then he turned on his heel and left.

Rukia blew out a breath she'd been holding as she closed the door behind him and glanced back over at her nest. That would be her now, after a night spent in that nest, she'd definitely go into heat. That meant she had to leave her home right now, she had far too much to arrange in her absence. With a painful few steps she crossed the threshold of her own home out into the air, the last twinges of Toshiro's scent being carried in the wind before dissipating up into the air.

'I feel really bad,' Rukia admitted to Rangiku later that day. Upon reflection of that morning, she'd really used Toshiro and she was starting to feel awful about it, 'I basically used him as an Alpha hormone facility.'

'So make it up to him,' there was an evil twinkle in Rangiku's eyes as she studied Rukia, 'invite him to share your nest and heat with you.'

'Ra-Rangiku,' Rukia blurted, the blush evident in her voice before it appeared on her face.

'Oh come on,' she rolled her eyes, 'we all know that's who you're going to be imagining to get you through that heat anyway. Plus he left you so many things smelling of him in your nest he wants to ensure that he's the only person you're picturing. He's going to be imagining it himself I'm sure.'

'That's your boss,' Rukia groaned as she leaned back on the chair of the other woman's messy living room.

'In case you haven't noticed, Toshiro and I don't have a normal relationship,' she smirked and Rukia turned to look at her friends face. 'As soon as he'd been to yours he came straight here to see me, woke me up too-'

'It was after 12 in the afternoon-'

'-and he told me everything. I've never seen him look so happy and so confused in my life. He really likes you Rukia. He'd never have done any of that for just any other Omega I'm confident about it.'

'Is that all?' Rukia asked sarcastically, her features still on fire as she seriously considered Rangiku's idea.

'Well he almost made me apologise for blaming Ishii for stealing his clothes when it was actually you,' Rangiku swirled the drink in her bottle. She'd offered some to Rukia but after the last time, Rukia had learned her lesson and vowed never to drink near Rangiku when she was due her heat ever again.

'What do I do Ran?' Rukia asked seriously with a groan.

'Here's what you do,' she sat up straight and then glanced around her living quarters before standing up and going over to her drawer and pulling out a plastic bag. Rukia recognised it instantly as a scent sealing bag, what the hell was she doing with those?

'You go and tell Byakuya that you're going to be spending your heat with my Captain, then you take gift to Toshiro in this,' she held up the clear bag and smirked, 'and he'll say yes before you've even had the chance to ask him the question.'

'Rangiku,' Rukia groaned and covered her face with her hands. She knew exactly what the woman wanted her to do. As well as the two scent glands on the neck, and the pair on the wrists there were another two. They were on the inside of the thighs and they were not as easily subdued by suppressants, their scent was much more potent and usually associated with pleasure scents.

'Come on, he wouldn't be expecting it and I bet your scent would bring him to his knees,' she flashed a wicked grin in Rukia's direction and the shorter woman groaned again.

'You've done this to someone before haven't you?'

'Gin, c'mon Rukia you two deserve some fun. You're both consenting adults who have admitted feelings for each other and you deserve to spend a heat with someone who can satisfy you.' Rangiku shook the bag in her direction and Rukia couldn't get rid of her twisted feelings of mortification and intrigue.

Scenting something in that way was the equivalent of sending nudes.

She'd feel terribly exposed.

'What if he rejects it, or is repulsed by it?' Rukia couldn't help voice the insecurities she was feeling and Rangiku simply smirked at her friend, dropping the heavy plastic bag onto her lap.

'Trust me, he'll be anything but. Men find it very, very difficult to control themselves once they have an attraction to a woman. As soon as they admit that attraction the control shifts and the woman is pretty much in charge of the relationship, this is all in your court now Rukia. So you need to decide do you want to spend another night alone dreaming of Toshiro fucking you, or do you want to actually experience it?'

Rukia didn't even have the sense to correct how easily her friend spoke of her Captain in that fashion, she was so wrapped up in Rangiku's words, the images they presented that she found herself lifting the bag from her lap without much thought.

'I can't believe I'm doing this,' she groaned as she went to stand up.

'I can,' Rangiku beamed and ushered her off.

It was concerning how easy it was to give into hormones, to take a leap of faith so blindly with all your being and put yourself in such a vulnerable spot. Yet here she was, about to take all the plunges into so many unfamiliar territories and praying that it all fell into place. The reward, would hopefully be worth it.

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**Only one more full chapter left guys before the epilogue chapter 9 and this fic will be completed :) thanks to everyone who has come on this journey with me. Next chapter will see the rating move up to MATURE but if sexual content isnt your gig, I'll put that section in bold so you can easily skip it. **

**Remember and leave me a wee review, you don't need an account on here to leave me a comment or two and it lets me know how interested in this ship people are! I'll write more if I get reviews :D **


	8. The Heat

**Here we go guys last chapter and the story has now moved to a Mature rating, if that's not you're scene I've bolded it for you to skip! Next chapter will just be a short epilogue and that will be this story finished! **

**As always massive thanks to those who reviewed, Marked Moon, that 1 Lady, FafaCute and Cass! You guys keep me writing :D **

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Convincing Byakuya did not take up nearly as much time as Rukia expected it would. She had approached the noble house hesitantly, feeling like a stranger despite it being her home and Byakuya had known something was wrong from one glance at her panic stricken face.

Fortunately for Rukia he had assumed it was something much more sinister so when she finally blurted that she wanted to start pursuing feelings for Captain Hitsugaya he was partially relieved.

'I've suspected for a while now,' he finally sighed, a hand coming up to rub his temples, 'and I am glad you are speaking to me about it before pursuing him.'

Rukia stayed quiet, she hadn't quite gotten to the heat part yet. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to raise that with him, it wasn't exactly anyone's business except her own, no one ever really spoke about when two souls became sexually active with each other, it was considered rude. It was almost always assumed it was the wedding night, but it rarely ever was.

'Yes, well working with him, we're very compatible in a lot of ways,' she ducked her head under her brother's heavy grey gaze as he turned his steely eyes on her.

'And do you know if he feels the same way?' her brother lifted an eyebrow and Rukia swallowed, feeling her cheeks redden at the topic.

'Yes, he admitted it to me yesterday,' she shuffled herself and took a deep steadying breath. 'He came to check on me because I wasn't feeling well and he found my nest-'

'He found your what!?' Byakuya's voice turned icy in a split second and Rukia hastened to correct it.

'No it wasn't his fault, he thought I'd fallen, I was late for a meeting and he got worried and one thing led to another…' she blinked innocently up at him, turning the full power of her large Omega eyes on him and watched him visibly soften, unable to stay mad.

'I will go to his office with the NDA papers at once,' he muttered under his breath and Rukia groaned and rolled her eyes when she knew he wasn't looking.

'Not the NDA,' she sighed, 'he won't tell anyone I promise.'

'You're right he won't,' Byakuya scowled, 'because we'll have his signature.'

'Onii-sama please,' Rukia begged but it was clear her brother wasn't going to be swayed on the matter.

'Were you heading off to see him after coming to see me? I can take the papers to him right now.'

'Someone please kill me,' Rukia mumbled under her breath as her brother exited the room to get aforementioned documents.

She hadn't moved at all by the time he returned to the living area and he ignored the pained look in her face when she turned to meet his gaze.

'No Rukia, this is my terms for the agreement, if he wants to see you I need a signature.'

Rukia bit her tongue, aware that her hormones already had her speaking out of place more than usual and not wanting to push her luck. Her brother seemed in an amicable mood considering the news he'd found out and if this were his only condition then surely she could compromise? He'd taught her the art of compromising from a young age.

'Yes Onii-sama,' she sighed finally, standing up and adjusting the strap of her zanpakuto on her hip. Byakuya put on his haori and together they departed off in the direction of squad ten. Rukia only wished she had a secret way of being able to get a warning to Toshiro prior to their arrival so that the other Alpha had a chance to brace himself. Rukia had witnessed this exchange between her brother and several Betas now but never had she ever seen it with an Alpha. It was going to be interesting at the very least and also very uncomfortable for her.

They arrived on the porch of the squad ten office and Rukia hung back, letting her brother lead the way as was respectful. Though Rukia was of the same rank as him, he was still the clan leader and thus still outranked her in many other aspects. Byakuya raised his hand and knocked lightly on the office door, there was only a brief pause and then Rukia heard Captain Hitsugaya's voice.

'Come in,' he said and the two words sent a shiver down Rukia's spine.

Byakuya pushed the door open and Rukia took a deep breath and walked in behind him. Toshiro was sat at his desk, ink brush still in his hand and his head bent low over a final paper where he was adding either a final note or a signature. Rukia noticed that his face was merely inches from the paper that he worked on with a look of pure concentration and she smiled sheepishly at the observation. His dark teal eyes drifted up from his work and his eyebrows raised in shock for a second before he managed to compose himself. His brush was back in its ink pot in the blink of an eye and he was rising from his seat.

'Captain Kuchiki,' he said and then with a slight tick of his mouth, 'Captain Kuchiki.'

'Captain Hitsugaya,' Byakuya said nodding his head in greeting.

'What can I do for you?' Toshiro asked her brother and Rukia could already feel the nerves settling in her bones. She had too many hormones to be dealing with this situation right now, the only thing forcing her feet in place, was the prospect that she'd be able to spend a heat with him, and it made her eyes observe the scene from a different angle.

'I know that you're aware of my sister's secondary gender,' Byakuya started and Toshiro's eyes flickered to hers for a second where she tried to telepathically communicate her apology.

'Yes, I am sorry about the situation that lead me to find out,' he sounded it too, the remorse heavy in his voice as he bowed much lower than his rank permitted.

'Apology accepted, but as you understand her safety is what my biggest concern is. Each new person who finds out creates a higher risk of the information falling into the wrong hands.' He explained and a flinch of Toshiro's beautiful face told them he understood too clearly what Byakuya was implying.

'The information will never leave my lips,' Toshiro replied, his lips barely moving as he said it as if to demonstrate this point.

'Good, then you won't mind, for my records,' Byakuya reached into his uniform and pulled out the NDA papers before stepping up to the desk and placing them in front of Toshiro.

Captain Hitsugaya's eyes fell on the paper and it took only a second before understanding crossed his face. With slim nimble fingers, his brush was back in his hand and he was signing the paperwork quickly. Rukia was sure no one could have read that quickly.

Then the papers were out from under his gaze and being tucked back into her brother's pocket.

'Thank you,' Byakuya bowed his head and hesitated before turning to Rukia. There was an oddly protective expression on his face now, but softer than the expression he wore when they were in battle. 'Are you sure?'

Rukia knew without the need for an explanation and her eyes flickered toward Captain Hitsugaya for just a moment. Toshiro turned his large teal irises toward her, blinking in confusion, his brows pulling together as he tried to understand what Byakuya was asking her. His face was smooth, perfect, the vast expanse of his throat exposed from his uniform, untouched.

'Yes,' Rukia had said the word without much other thought and her brother nodded solemnly before turning back and shooting Toshiro a look she couldn't quite see. Then he was out the door and Rukia felt her shoulders relax.

'Are you sure about what?' Toshiro asked, his posture relaxing too now that the other Alpha was out of his space.

Rukia didn't quite know how to answer that, she needed a lot of courage for what she was about to do, what she was about to ask of him. She stepped further into the office now, taking up the space that her brother had previously dominated. The scents of both Captain Hitsugaya and her brother mingled oddly, two Alpha's scents that caused her nose to wrinkle in distaste. Toshiro didn't hurry her, instead he seemed to be observing her with interest, waiting for her to speak in her own time.

'I wanted to properly thank you for yesterday,' she finally started, her heart rate picking up.

'For disturbing you and barging into your personal space and finding out something very personal that you hadn't chosen to disclose to me?' he asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm, 'yes I can understand why _you'd _be thanking _me_.'

Rukia was looking out the window, trying to find the courage while not looking at his perfect face and she broke out in a brilliant smile at his words. Her head turned to the ground and she looked sheepishly down at where his desk legs met the floor. It was clear her silence was starting to annoy him, she could smell the subtle shift and anxiousness in his scent.

'Rukia?' he questioned quietly and she sighed, loving the way her name sounded on his lips. Without any authority of her own, her eyes were locked with his, her head rising from the floor and she found that he was moving around the desk towards her. His own eyes were sparkling with curiosity and apprehension.

'I-' she started, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks because she really hadn't prepared what she was going to say to him at all. She what? She had a gift for him? She couldn't whip it out in the middle of his office? How would he respond? Would he understand that she was inviting him to her heat with the gift? Would he question her further? Would she be able to answer without getting embarrassed if he did ask her questions?

'What's wrong?' he stepped forward now, his fingers twitching at his side like he longed to be able to touch her, and she wanted to feel it. Rukia looked fiercely back into his eyes, her mind set and took a deep breath.

'I have a gift,' she said quickly and he blinked in surprise.

'A gift?' he relaxed and then he laughed, his voice beautiful, a low octave throaty laugh that seemed to lighten up the dark space they were in. 'That was unexpected, I thought you were going to say you didn't want to see me again.'

Rukia looked at him shocked as he shook his head.

'Why would I do _that_?' she asked.

'Oh I don't know,' he shrugged and it was the first time ever she'd seem him look unsure of himself. It made him look younger again, like the few feet he'd grown since the war hadn't mattered at all. 'Maybe because I broke into your home and found out you were an Omega when you didn't want me too, then froze something from your nest.'

As he said the final part his hand found his forehead he groaned. It was clear Toshiro had been dwelling on all the wrong parts of their encounter and Rukia couldn't help but smile fondly at him.

'Don't you feel bad,' she muttered, 'I used you like a human hormone machine.'

When he glanced up now it was to see the blush she could feel on her face and he smiled kindly at her.

'I don't care,' he shrugged and Rukia shook her head.

'It wasn't right though,' she replied.

'We make our own rules,' he said with a soft smile, 'how many times has this happened? In the history of the Seireitei?' he asked as his hand flickered between the two of them.

Rukia could only think of once, and it was when Byakuya had been conceived, before that marriage there were very few records at all of Omega's and Alpha's getting together, or even being friends because both were so rare.

'That's true,' she agreed with a nod and she watched as his smile became a breath-taking grin.

'So what did you get me?' he sounded younger now too, like a child expecting a gift on his birthday and she groaned because she needed him to be mature for this next part.

'It's not a conventional gift,' Rukia started and he just grinned wider, 'and it was Rangiku's idea.'

'Okay.'

'You don't even have to open it, you can just give it back to me if you don't want it and we can pretend nothing happened.'

'Okay.'

'I know it might be considered inappropriate and I'm sorry if you take it that way I just-'

'Rukia!' he groaned his frustration now, his head falling back, 'please.'

'Okay, okay,' she mumbled shyly and his eyes were back on hers, she glanced around to ensure all the windows were shut before reaching inside her uniform and pulling the plastic bag out. She could barely even look at him as she held it out.

'Is this-?' he asked and she felt him lift it from her hands.

'A scented gift, yes,' she mumbled shyly, 'it comes with a proposition.'

Toshiro's eyes glanced from the sealed plastic bag up to her face the shock clearly evident.

'I wondered,' she took a deep breath and met his gaze, 'if you'd like to spend my heat with me.'

* * *

Rukia rushed to get the room prepared. She hadn't actually expected him to say yes, she realised now with a hint of panic.

Flash step seemed too slow even around her tiny living space as she rushed to try and get the kitchen spotless, the bathroom clean and everything ready. It was exhausting and by the time she was finished she realised that she was the only mess left to deal with. This presented a new issue, because she didn't want to dirty the bathroom she'd just spent an hour cleaning.

'Why can't this just be straightforward?' she asked herself, grumbling as she stalked back into the bathroom and eyed the shower with a look of despair.

Toshiro's reaction had been comical though, she remembered with a slight smirk of her lips. He'd stared at her dumbstruck for what felt like thirty minutes but could only have been sixty seconds before he'd recovered himself enough to blush bright red and tentatively accept.

For some reason, his embarrassment seemed to elevate hers and she found the situation a lot less difficult to deal with. Rukia had then made up a quick excuse to leave, saying something about having to get the place ready. He'd been shocked to learn she was about to go into heat so soon but didn't seem coherent enough to ask questions properly at that moment, so Rukia knew she was going to be getting them tonight when he came to stay over.

That thought twisted a ball of anxiousness in her stomach and she permitted herself the shower. Rukia spent a lot longer than normal grooming herself, understanding that she'd be having company this time and not wanting him to think she was a complete slob… she wanted him to enjoy this experience in the hope that maybe he'd want to do it again with her.

Once out the shower Rukia tied her wet hair up, sweeping it back away from her face and her eyes darted to the clock. He'd be here soon, and with each passing second she grew more and more anxious.

She checked herself over several times in the mirror, deciding on a plain t-shirt she'd had in the world on the living and some dark underwear, knowing it was all going to come off eventually so there really was no point in getting self-conscious. Rukia could feel the heat bubbling under her skin, like it knew her Alpha would be here soon and upon his arrival all hell would break loose. She paced, then stopped in front of the mirror again, noticing the scent glands on her neck were glistening and she took a deep breath trying to calm the racing of her heart when there was a knock at the door.

Taking another final deep breath she turned and made her way over, pulling the door open to reveal an eloquent looking figure on her front step. Captain Hitsugaya's face had been smoothed into an impassive expression, not quite the nervous one she'd been expecting, though his eyebrows did raise as he took in her half naked appearance.

Pulling him in before someone saw him loitering outside, she firmly shut and bolted the door behind him. His scent was already infusing the area, making her relax with how dominating the notes of peppermint was becoming in such a small space. Rukia breathed deeply again, turning to look at him, his gaze, which had been on her legs, snapped back to meet her eyes in an instant before taking in the sight of her wet hair. He visibly swallowed and Rukia smirked at him.

'Hello,' she said, leaning awkwardly against the wall opposite him.

'"Hello"?' he questioned, his perfect lips ticking up at the side in a small smirk, 'really? You invite me here for your heat and that's all you can say?'

'What did you expect me to say?' Rukia asked her eyebrows raising themselves in curiosity.

'Some cheesy line in a Western movie,' he shrugged, 'I don't know.'

It seemed to break the tension that had formed in the room since his arrival, his body language relaxing at the ease of their banter and Rukia's joining him.

'No cheesy lines, but you can put your bag down anywhere you want,' she gestured into the main room, after spotting the overnight bag on his shoulder. Toshiro smiled and turned into the main room, putting the bag down and shrugging off his plain black coat. It was only then that Rukia took in what he was wearing, she'd been too busy staring at his face before. He wore a plain navy blue jumper under his black jacket, dark blue denim jeans, the kind of outfit one went out in the dark in to not be seen. Rukia was thankful, it was already a lot that this was new to the two of them without having to have the whole Seireitei be in the know about their little hook-up.

'Love what you've done with the place,' he said conversationally and a little sarcastically indicating the nest where Rukia had been rearranging things while she cleaned and tidied up.

'Thanks,' Rukia flushed sheepishly but felt warm at his praise, an Alpha praising the Omega's nest did feel as good as she'd read.

'I also wanted to thank you for the gift,' he said and Rukia turned to see his cheeks a little redder.

'You opened it?' she asked, her own embarrassment clear.

'Well yes,' he cleared his throat, not looking at her but instead his eyes fixed on a large city scape painting that hung on the far wall, 'I assume that's why you gave it to me? I wanted to know what your scent was like…'

Rukia knew that he'd smelled her that very morning when he'd discovered the nest for the first time but that scent would be different to the one she'd bagged for him. The one in the bag would be closer to the scent she'd give off during a heat.

'What did you think?' she asked, her voice quiet.

'Very- very nice,' he cleared his voice which broke in the middle and seemed to be a few octaves lower than normal. Rukia almost purred at the sound, he wasn't very articulate when it came to complimenting an Omega but he was clearly trying.

'Good I'm glad,' she mumbled and he gazed back at her, his eyes glancing over her body again.

'I feel overdressed,' he said and she smirked at him.

'Why don't you undress then?' she smirked and he swallowed, she laughed in response to the guarded look on his face.

'Clothes will be coming off eventually and it's warm in the nest,' she nodded to the bundle of covers, pillows and clothes and he nodded.

'How long until…?' he asked and she leaned against another wall inside the main room thoughtfully.

'A few hours at least, I think it will hit through the night sometime, hard to tell for sure,' she explained and he nodded his understanding.

Toshiro seemed to deliberate on something and Rukia left him to it, taking the time to eye him and rejoicing in the fact that she had him here in her room. He seemed to be coming to terms with what it was they were about to do and became a little less awkward as he seemed to make up his mind on something.

'May I use the bathroom?' he asked and Rukia nodded, letting him slip by. She made her way toward the kitchen and brought a bucket with ice through, where she placed a few bottles of water. During a heat they'd not be eating… well… they'd not be eating food. But it was important to remember to stay hydrated during the activities, something Rukia forgot about.

'You may have to remind me to drink,' she said frowning down at the bottles and wondering if it would be enough. She'd heard the bathroom door go and assumed he'd stepped out, but he didn't answer her right away and she turned to look at him.

No Deity in the universe could have prepared her mentally for the sight of seeing Captain Hitsugaya in nothing but a pair of boxers. He shot her a questioning look, clearly wondering if he'd gone too far or if it was acceptable but Rukia could only stare. She'd seen him topless of course, the delicately defined muscles were more relaxed now, just rising and falling with his breaths. His legs were toned too, perhaps a little more defined than his chest, overall his body was lean and well proportioned.

'What?' he asked clearly a little self-conscious from her staring.

'Nothing,' she quickly said, 'I just wasn't expecting.' She nodded to his body and he snorted.

'You were the one who told me to take my clothes off,' he pointed out and she nodded her head slowly, not really listening to him.

He walked over, his arms crossing in front of his chest and Rukia tried her best to see his ass but he was still standing with his side to her.

'Remind you to drink water, got it, anything else?' he asked and Rukia had to pull her eyes away from the bulge in those tight black boxers.

'What?' she asked and he flushed, clearly embarrassed by her distracted gaze.

'Is there anything else I need to do during the heat other than… the obvious?' he flinched a little at how he worded it and Rukia just chuckled sheepishly at him.

'No just the water, it shouldn't last more than a few hours, anything else can wait.' She replied.

'Alright,' his gaze met hers and she smiled at him.

'Do you want to try and sleep for a while before?' she asked nodding to her nest.

'You're inviting me in?' he asked and her smile brightened and she nodded.

He let her take the lead and Rukia slipped into the nest she'd created, one part of it having a slightly lower wall to allow them space to get in and out of the mass of pillows, blankets and stolen clothes. Toshiro climbed in after her, but less gracefully and Rukia bit her lower lip to stop from laughing at him. He corrected himself quickly and finally Rukia pulled him close, turning her back to him so they could snuggle down together with him spooning her. She started purring almost straight away and he leaned over to listen, but Rukia didn't care. She was far too content to feel self-conscious now. Wrapped in his scent and his arm which tightened protectively around her Rukia let her hand wander up and down his arm which was slung around her chest, feeling the rough feeling of his hair and occasional callouses from battle. Toshiro made a content noise at the back of his throat and Rukia could feel herself already beginning to drift into a light sleep.

**When Rukia woke, she knew instantly that her heat had woken her. Waves of warmth were rolling down her spine and as she moved she could feel the wetness between her legs. Toshiro's arm tightened around her and he let out a low throaty growl as she twisted to snuggle into his chest.**

**'Are you awake now?' he asked his voice sounding impatient.**

**'Yes,' she mumbled and with another growl he was suddenly on top of her, pinning her against the bed and Rukia's mouth fell open in shock, her legs spreading at the sudden treatment.**

**'Thank God,' he groaned, 'I've been waiting for ages, your scent…'**

**'My scent?' her voice sounded distant and far away, like she was calling to him from the other side of a football pitch.**

**'It's been driving me mad,' he leaned in to nuzzle against her scent gland on her throat and Rukia tilted her head back with a pathetic whine to give him access. Toshiro let another low growl spill from his mouth before lowering his body down to press against hers. Rukia could feel the heat off his skin and as he moved his lips to begin kissing the underside of her throat, she felt the obvious bulge in his boxers. She swallowed, aware distantly that this was actually happening, that she was actually going to be fucked by Captain Hitsugaya.**

**The thought was so lewd, so out of place in the context of their world that she genuinely considered for a moment that she was still asleep and dreaming the whole thing. But then his teeth began to scrape against the sensitive skin of her scent gland and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. No matter how good Rukia's imagination was, it wasn't good enough to make this up.**

**She groaned a word that she hoped was his name, her hand sliding up into his hair and tugging. Toshiro seemed to be moving his hips against her leg, desperate for friction but at the same time seemed to be doing nothing to actually speed the process along. Rukia decided to take matters into her own hands, mostly because she wanted to look at him and know that this was real. She hooked her legs around his back and with the last of her cognitive thoughts, flipped them so she was situated on top of him. He let out a grunt, his neck straining to keep his lips attached to her neck as she pulled back. Rukia wasn't quite prepared for the sight that greeted her eyes. Toshiro was breathing heavy. His eyes which were normally a bright vivid teal, were dark with lust, his pupils blown wide and his chest heaving. He looked more Alpha than anyone had a right to look and Rukia felt her control slip as she gave into the feeling of her hormones.**

**She started by grinding her hips down on his and it earned a hiss of longing from his mouth. Then she placed her two hands on his chest, feeling the thrumming beat of his erratic heart inside as it pounded blood to all the right areas. Rukia reached down over him and he pushed himself up, their lips just centimetres apart and there she breathed in his scent. The winter jasmine of his scent was masked entirely with the peppermint oil and cedar tones which seemed to dominate the area, spilling out around their nest as a clear warning to any other Alpha's passing by that this was his territory, this was his nest and his mate and Rukia practically melted against him. With a deep breath she managed to stay upright, not quite ready to give up her dominance as their lips finally met. The kiss was a harsh press of the lips, then Toshiro took charge and their mouths were moving against each other. His breath infiltrated her mouth and knocked her own away, then his tongue was following after it and Rukia almost went limp in his arms. Toshiro was a gentleman though, and didn't flip them back over to regain control, instead he wrapped a strong arm around her and held her firm as he sat up.**

**Kissing him was probably one of the most addictive things she'd ever done in her life. Rukia had never understood the concept of drugs or other human addictions before, but now she did. If Toshiro was a drug, she'd never ever go to rehab, she'd happily let it consume her, like fire in her veins until it decimated all other thoughts and feelings.**

**Their kisses stayed hot and heavy, a wet dance of tongues between mouths and occasionally swapping back to the gentle press of lips against lips as they caught their breath and swallowed down the taste of each other.**

**Rukia was aware there was a lot more to come and another harsh wave of heat that shuddered down her spine reminded her of that. Toshiro mistook the shudder and pulled back, gasping for breath, his face flushed beautifully. He tried to wrap one of the covers over her but Rukia shoved his hands away, unperturbed, he watched with fascination as Rukia reached down and lifted the t-shirt she'd worn to bed up and off her head. She could feel his gaze on her, hungrily drinking her in but didn't want to stop until she was fully naked. Rukia rolled off him and made to peel her underwear off until a hand caught her arms gently and she gazed into the lust filled eyes of her Alpha.**

**'I think I should do that?' he mumbled, his voice so much lower than she'd ever heard it and his eyes sweeping over her in a way that already made her feel naked. Rukia whined in response but as he let her hands go, she did nothing to remove her underwear herself. He took that as confirmation and leaned over to capture her lips again. Rukia let her head fall back into the pillows in bliss, he began to kiss further down her body again, this time going beyond the neck. He stopped at various points where she made a noise to explore. Rukia knew that there were erogenous zones all over a woman's body but was shocked to find how good they felt at the mercy of his mouth. When he encased her left nipple between his teeth and began to abuse it with his tongue, she honestly thought she'd come on the spot.**

**Then she realised it was because he wasn't just abusing her nipples, somehow, while she'd been distracted, he'd managed to slip a hand between her legs and was rubbing her through the soft wet fabric of her black pants. Rukia groaned, the noise echoing around the room and spurring him on. He stopped for a moment to adjust himself then he was right back at it and Rukia growled in frustration.**

**'Did I hurt you?' he asked cautiously as he lifted his head to gaze at her.**

**'No,' she groaned glancing down at him, 'but you're going too _slow_.'**

**Toshiro's eyes seemed to flash then a wicked grin spread over his face. He was clearly giving into his lusty hormones just as much as she was.**

**'Forgive me,' he chuckled, his voice low and dark, 'I forgot it was rude to make a noble woman wait.'**

**Then his lips were back on her flaming skin, kissing and sucking down her body as if he were trying to taste every single part of her. Rukia groaned, her hands finding the pillow and clinging onto it as his lips finally found the flesh just above her pants where he grabbed the elasticated fabric between his teeth and slowly pulled them down.**

**If Rukia hadn't known any better, she was sure that he'd done this before with someone. The images in her head made her see red for a moment and it took a lot of effort to shove them to the back of her mind for the time being so she could focus on being in the moment with him. She'd have plenty of time to question him about it later, after he'd screwed her into orbit.**

**Once her underwear was gone and she lay bare before him, Rukia watched his hungry gaze drinking in her entire being and knew he wouldn't last much longer himself. Removing that last piece of fabric meant that her scent glands on the inside of her legs were now exposed and they were the most potent of them all. Her heat hormones would be flooding out into the room and affecting any logical thinking he may have been trying to call upon.**

**She reached up with a shaky hand as he leaned back, clearly trying to collect himself, his nostrils flaring and then she palmed him through his underwear.**

**Toshiro let out a hiss of longing, his eyes closing for just a moment before flying open as she did it again.**

**'_Fuck_,' he groaned, his head lolling back, 'that feels so good.'**

**Rukia stirred, realising she'd never heard him lose control and swear like that, and how good it sounded to her ears. She hated the idea of her biology making her want to please her Alpha but there was no other way to feel about it. His praise did things to her and she continued, while his eyes opened, hazy with lust and she met his gaze.**

**'Let's get to the good stuff shall we?' she asked, her voice low and throaty as she said it. He shuddered and Rukia sat up, hooking her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and pulling them down. Because Toshiro was on his knees he had to move in order to remove them completely from his legs before tossing them into the nest somewhere. Rukia watched with fascination how his erect dick moved with his body. The way it lay hot and heavy looking against his stomach while he was on his ass pulling the boxers off his ankles to the way it stood out proud as he rolled back onto his knees again. Rukia felt a flush of nervous excitement roll down her spine. She'd never ever had anything quite that size in her before, and she knew that Alpha's were usually the most well-endowed when it came to sexual organs.**

**Toshiro climbed over her and she reached out to wrap her fingers around it, trying to get a feel for how big it was. At the base she couldn't fit her fingers around it, but then again she had quite small hands so that wasn't a good indication of size. He said nothing, letting her explore and only let out small hisses of pleasure she found a particularly sensitive spot with her fingertips. His balls hung hot and heavy just underneath, one hanging slightly lower than the other and Rukia could feel the heat climbing up her face as her fingers found the gentle bit of loose skin at the base of his cock.**

**'Is that…?' she asked, touching it gently.**

**'My knot?' he finished her question, 'yeah it is.'**

**'Have you ever,' she indicated with her head, trying to get an answer to the question that was plaguing her, 'used it before?'**

**Her question seemed to amuse him. He let out a low chuckle and she gazed at him confused.**

**'Depends on the context; with a partner no.' He said, 'by myself, yes I've explored it a bit.'**

**Rukia would have flushed at his ease of admitting his own masturbation but she was far beyond being embarrassed by such a trivial thing while they were lying naked together about to intertwine into one being.**

**'What about you?' he asked, his voice full of amusement as he leaned over her and Rukia groaned. She refused to meet his eyes as she rolled her own.**

**'I'm an Omega,' she said like it explained everything, and really it should have.**

**'So?' he asked and she realised he was actually wanting to hear her say it.**

**'Yes, I've explored,' she huffed reaching up to pull his face back down toward hers so she didn't have to see the amusement in his eyes as she admitted it. 'I had to keep myself satisfied someway during a heat while you weren't around.'**

**It was enough to snap him out of his flirting and remind him the position they were both in. With a deep rumbling growl he was back over her and this time his lips latched onto her skin around her navel. He seemed to have fun marking her with deep purplish bruises and Rukia let him, all the while gritting her teeth and wishing he'd hurry up.**

**She was just about to flip them back over to take charge again when he hooked his hands under her legs and hoisted them up. Her eyes flew open and then she felt him press his tongue against her entrance. Rukia let out a deep groan, her hands fisting in the pillow under her head as his tongue dove inside her.**

**Fuck it felt better than anything she could have ever done to herself. The appendage was wet and its movements foreign to her. The unknown made each second of this experience entirely new and once his tongue removed itself to explore a little higher she couldn't stop the moan of longing when it found her clit.**

**He'd definitely done this before. There was no way he could be this much of a prodigy on his first attempt.**

**'T-Toshiro,' she groaned and the sound of his name seemed to shatter the last of his resolve. He soon removed his mouth and hovered back over her.**

**'Are you ready?' he asked and Rukia groaned in response. She knew that he should really have been stretching her with fingers or something first but she was too far gone to care. She just needed his throbbing member inside her now. He set her ass back down against the bed and she watched as he guided his dick to her entrance.**

**She took a steadying breath and he was pushing inside. The stretch was bearable, her heat was producing more than enough lubrication that it eased her walls around him.**

**'God,' he groaned, when he was halfway inside where he had to pause to catch his breath. Rukia's eyes flickered over him, his whole body seemed to be shaking and his skin glistened with sweat. She could feel their reiryoku crackling in the air between them, responding to their intimacy.**

**'Toshiro,' she groaned again and he stirred, before he slid fully inside her in a final thrust.**

**They stayed there for a moment but Rukia's heat was demanding action, her hormones wanting so much more than for him to just be _in _her.**

**Before she could fully comprehend what she was doing, she had him pinned below her and was rocking back on her hips. His hazy confused eyes gazed up at her as if she were some kind of goddess come to haunt his dreams. The look in his eyes was distant and far away, unearthly even. Rukia's rocking turned from gentle to a dirty grind once she started to find her rhythm.**

**Toshiro could do nothing more than lie there and take it, the Alpha part of him being completely dominated by the Omega that was now fucking herself on his cock. Rukia couldn't believe how good it felt, how she'd managed to make it through any of her previous heats without the delicious feeling of his hot heavy cock inside her. She opened her mouth to gasp and groan, but promptly closed it again, scared that she may say things she'd later regret.**

**Toshiro seemed too far gone to even hear half of what was spilling from her mouth. His head was thrown back, the tendons and muscles in his neck going into spasm as he rode the waves of pleasure that were now coursing through his body. Rukia gave a whimper when her leg muscles seemed to stutter for a moment but before he could react himself, she'd already recovered herself and was continuing with the brutal pace.**

**'Rukia,' he said her voice in warning, and Rukia realised what he was trying to tell her. His hands were gripping her legs as she rose onto her knees and back down onto him, impaling herself. She didn't stop, not even to find out if he'd be able to keep going after he'd come once, she'd figure out a way to make him. Unfortunately a heat would mean she wouldn't be satisfied until her body told her she would be and thus she continued her brutal pace until Toshiro began moaning underneath her.**

**'Fuck Rukia, I'm going to…' he left his words unsaid, but his warning was clear. If she didn't stop now he was going to come and she let him.**

**With a last groan Toshiro's entire body froze in spasm and Rukia actually felt hot bursts of his seamen spurt inside her. The feeling was so alien that she paused for a moment to commit the feeling to memory, a warm satisfied feeling spread through her body and she reacted involuntary to his own orgasm, her walls clamping around him as if trying to suck him dry.**

**Toshiro went limp against the bed as Rukia took a few moments to recover herself as well. When she could move again, it was with the satisfying knowledge that he was still hard and inside her.**

**'I thought guys lost it after they came?' she questioned and Toshiro chuckled, his closed eyes finally opening to meet hers.**

**'Not if we're in a rut,' he muttered and Rukia blinked.**

**'You're in a rut?' she asked stupidly.**

**'Yeah, I have your little gift to thank for that.' He sat up so fast it made her dizzy, then flipped over and fucked her through two more orgasms.**

**There came a point in between all the mewling, clawing at his back and moaning his name, that time seemed to pass them by and Rukia knew they didn't have long left before her heat would finish and they'd be left in the mess they'd created. Toshiro didn't once slow down, never once made her feel inferior despite the fact he was now on top and he didn't once degrade her even though he had begun to whisper rather dirty things in her ear.**

**'You're so wet,' he groaned as he readjusted them back into the missionary position. Rukia didn't feel like reminding him that it was probably his own sperm that was making her feel that way. She was enjoying seeing this whole other side of him and didn't want to discourage it in the slightest.**

**'Will you knot me?' Rukia asked, and he slowed his pace for just a fraction of a second as he seemed to consider her words. He had been leaning over, his mouth panting just inches from her left ear as he thrust.**

**'Are you sure?' he asked breathlessly. Rukia knew it was an odd request as usually only mated Alpha's would knot their partner. It would tie them together for about thirty minutes while they waited for the swelling at the base of his dick to go down but Rukia wanted to try it, wanted to know what it felt like and this was the prime time to find out. They'd been at this for a couple of hours now, she was confident it wouldn't hurt her like it would have if they'd tried it at the very beginning.**

**'Yes,' she mumbled, turning to nibble his earlobe. Toshiro groaned, readjusting his arms to push himself up far enough to twist his head and lock lips with her. Sex was always far more of a workout than actually training, the brain firing signals off in every direction, nerves working out in ways they normally wouldn't. Rukia always found she lost her breath faster during a heat than during a sparring match and it seemed Toshiro was no different.**

**Despite his obvious exhaustion he complied with her request, but only after she drunk some water. What an inconvenience it was to have to stop what you were doing in the throes of sex in order to hydrate yourself. As soon as a bottle of water had been shared between them they were right back at it, Toshiro setting a brutal pace that had Rukia running her nails down his back and moaning into his ear. Each moan only seemed to spur him on faster and he'd soon hitched her leg for deeper penetration.**

**When Rukia couldn't hold on any longer she gripped his back and arched her own, trying to get as close to his body as she could.**

**'Toshiro,' she groaned in a tone that she knew he'd come to recognise.**

**'Me too,' he grunted back and Rukia hoped he hadn't forgotten their agreement because she was in no coherent state to remind him about it in a gentle way. Instead she just threw her head back and moaned the words aloud.**

**'_Knot me_,' she gasped and he grunted, with a final thrust he came once again inside her but this time she felt the swelling. A pressure unlike anything she'd ever felt before swept over her, and with it a wave of pleasure she'd never ever been able to reach before.**

**He groaned and with a final bit of effort rolled them over so she was lying on top of him. His member tugging at her but not slipping out as they moved. Rukia moaned at the feeling before going limp on his chest, his arms encircling her.**

**At that moment her zanpakuto which had been leaning against the wall beside the table fell over, knocking into his own as they ended up on the floor of the room. Toshiro's muddled brain must have mistaken the noise as an intruder because a deep gut wrenching growl spilled from his lips and his arms tightened like a vice around her.**

**At first Rukia had been startled too until her eyes had located the source of the noise and she relaxed, her hormonal brain coming back down to Earth and her senses returning to normal.**

**'Relax,' she mumbled snuggling against his torso, 'our zanpakuto fell over.'**

**Toshiro turned to look in their direction and he snorted.**

**'Hyroinmaru didn't want to be left out,' he said it so casually and Rukia found herself shaking with laughter. The movement was having an effect on their bodies from where they were tied but soon Toshiro was chuckling too.**

**It took a while for her chuckles to subside but when they did she was left in a state of bliss, forcing herself to keep her thoughts at bay for as long as possible. It proved difficult, there were a lot of unanswered questions that she'd not properly explored prior to arranging this engagement. Now that she'd had a partner for a heat, Rukia really didn't wish to return to doing it herself, but in her muddled brain she couldn't remember if they'd ever spoken about making this a permanent arrangement.**

**Rukia knew she needed to mentally prepare herself for the worst possible scenario but she also just wanted to lie here and enjoy the aftermath.**

**'Rukia?' his voice sounded concerned and his calloused fingers moved comfortingly up and down her back as if he were trying to sooth her, 'what's wrong?'**

**'Nothing,' she said reflexively.**

**'You tensed up,' he said, his fingers digging into her muscles as he tried to undo the tense little bubble she'd become.**

**'I just had a bad thought,' she finally said truthfully turning to press her forehead against his chest, breathing in the scent of the sweat on his skin.**

**'A bad thought?' he sounded nervous himself now though he was trying to mask it, 'what do you mean?'**

**'After how amazing this has been, how will I ever be able to have a heat alone again?' she rose her voice at the end, almost saying it like she was asking a question.**

**'Oh,' he chuckled, 'well I thought this was going to be a permanent arrangement? Unless you didn't want it to be?' he sounded like he was just as upset with that idea as she was.**

**Rukia hid her grin into his chest, feeling her muscles relax and his fingers glossed more smoothly down her back, noticing the change in her posture.**

**'I want it to be permanent,' she said.**

**'I'll admit, this wasn't exactly how I expected things to go,' he chuckled and Rukia leaned back so she could see his perfect face. There was a flush high in his cheekbones but she couldn't tell if it had just appeared or was a result of their activities.**

**'What do you mean?' she asked.**

**He groaned and threw an arm over his face, hiding the flush and confirming it was newly acquired. 'You're going to think I'm lame.'**

**'You've got me knotted with your dick inside me,' she said, 'I'm not going to think anything is lame right now.'**

**He laughed at that and when he'd finally gathered himself he started to open up to her.**

**'Well, I've wanted to ask you out for a while now, but just never knew how to do it.' He shrugged but continued, 'I thought about a billion dates I'd take you on first, maybe the first kiss at the end of one of the nights but never…' he jerked his head at their current situation. Rukia was grinning and raised an eye brow at him.**

**'You expect me to believe that a male Alpha with a crush didn't once think about having sex with object of that crush?' she asked and he laughed.**

**'Right okay you caught me,' he chuckled, his laugh was so pure, so brilliant, it held an air of intelligence that suited him perfectly. It was definitely a sound that she could get used to.**

**'I did think of this part but it wasn't during a heat because I had no idea you were an Omega and it was after a conversation about me being an Alpha and how that would work,' he said.**

**'How would that work,' she asked lowering her head onto her hand so her chin didn't press uncomfortably into his chest.**

**'Well just the ruts and stuff,' he shrugged, 'I thought I'd have to make you aware of all those things, you always seemed so…' he trailed off.**

**'So what?' she pressed.**

**'Innocent,' he breathed.**

**The word sparked something in her memory, something that she had to shift through her heat to recall.**

**'But you're not?' she asked, dreading the answer.**

**'Not what?' he asked blinking down at her and moving his head so it was better propped by a pillow.**

**'Innocent?'**

**'Well,' his eyes shifted to the left and back to her, 'no, I'm not. But if it makes you feel any better it was a short lived relationship decades ago.'**

**'I figured,' Rukia tried to keep the hurt from her voice, it wasn't like he'd cheated on her. They hadn't been together, in fact he'd barely known her decades ago.**

**'How did you figure?' he pressed.**

**'You were too good, you knew your way around too well. I had visions of you being suffocated under a pile of women… or if you and Rangiku had ever…'**

**'Rangiku?' he barked suddenly his voice sounding almost repellent, 'gods no, I adore that woman but like one would adore a really annoying drunk Aunt or big sister, nothing at all like that.' He was shaking his head and Rukia smiled at his expression. She knew she'd never ever have to get jealous around Rangiku now.**

**He made a face in slight disgust and that's when his dick finally slipped out of Rukia. She made a face too, the feeling of his sperm trickling out not that attractive now that her heat was over.**

'She's so repellent she caused your knot to go away?' Rukia smirked and he flushed and glared at her. 'That's good to know for future reference.'

They both laughed and Rukia made a noise of disgust at the back of her throat.

'I really need a bath but I don't want to move,' she mumbled into his chest.

'If I get up and draw you a bath, will you forgive me for having sexual relations with another woman before we met?' he asked.

'I suppose it's a start,' she sighed and he chuckled rolling her over gently and pilling up his things close against her in the nest. Rukia snuggled down in them and inhaled his scent as he escaped the nest and made his way into the bathroom.

'You never answered my question,' she called after him, feeling almost giddy.

'What question?' his voice called back from the bathroom and Rukia grinned into his haori where it was wrapped on top of his pillow. Rukia was getting complete domestic vibes from this situation and loved it.

'How were you so good?' she called back. It must have taken him a moment to realise what she was asking, or maybe it took him a moment to think of his reply.

'Rangiku,' he finally called back and Rukia sat up so fast it made her dizzy.

'But I thought you said-'

'God no!' he laughed coming back into the room and Rukia looked over to see him standing in the doorway. He had a towel wrapped around himself and looked like a model who had just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. 'I mean she gave me a few of her romance novels a while back as a gift for Christmas.' He rolled his eyes.

'Romance novels?' Rukia questioned and watched as that beautiful flush of his danced across his cheeks again.

'Yeah, she told me they were for research,' he tried to pan it off but Rukia pursed her lips.

'So you read them?' she asked.

'Look,' he stomped his foot and his towel nearly fell off. With a quick hand he managed to grab it and save what little dignity he had left while Rukia laughed harshly at him. 'I've been lonely for a long time, next to Rangiku it's not like I get a lot of time for that stuff. I was curious, cut me some slack.'

He didn't wait for her to stop laughing, instead he trudged back into the bathroom clearly annoyed and Rukia had to stifle her giggles into her pillow.

'I'm sorry,' she finally said when she could trust her voice not to break, 'there's nothing wrong with reading novels or fan fiction or whatever to get tips. It's more the fact that it was Rangiku who got them for you, knowing you well enough to know you'd actually read them that I find so funny.'

'Oh,' his head appeared back in the doorway, 'what's so funny about that?'

'From the outside looking in, you two are polar opposites-'

'We are-' he interrupted.

'And you two look like you'd drive each other nuts-'

'We do-'

'And so I just never imagined Rangiku knowing you well enough for her to get you a gift like that, let alone one you'd actually… utilise.'

He scowled at the smug look he knew she wore on her face and his head ducked back into the bathroom.

'I love Rangiku,' he said firmly, 'but she drives me mad sometimes. It's that kind of relationship, I guess you'll come to see it more for yourself when you spend more time around us.'

Rukia smiled at that because he'd just admitted he wanted her around that she was in some small way becoming part of the family he included Rangiku in.

'Your bath is ready,' he finally appeared back in the room as Rukia swung herself over the edge in her nest. Her feet felt shaky when she tried to stand, the muscles having done quite the workout and Toshiro was there to steady her.

'You mean our bath,' she smirked at him and watched as a beautiful grin split across his face.

'Yes, ours,' he said, his fingers entwined with hers as he lead her into the bathroom.

The warm water was pleasant and exactly what she needed. It was not nearly as pleasant as having Toshiro's body behind hers, or his fingers combing through her hair as he helped her wash it.

They spoke about the war, spoke about her brothers reaction to what had happened that morning and Toshiro asked her a lot of questions about her heat cycles and who else knew that she was an Omega. It was important for him to know all the information now that he was going to be a constant in her life.

They didn't bother putting on full clothes once they were done bathing. Instead Rukia threw on one of Toshiro's spare t-shirts he'd brought in his overnight bag and he threw on a pair of clean boxers. They split the chores, Toshiro cooking something quick in the kitchen as Rukia stripped back and cleaned the nest.

Once they were both fed and watered, they snuggled up in bed together, aware it was now very late in the evening but were too awake to sleep. Instead Rukia pulled a book off her shelf and Toshiro set about reading it aloud for the two of them.

'If only it was one of your romantic adventure novels,' Rukia joked and Toshiro slammed the book closed.

'That's it I'm leaving,' he said in mock offence and Rukia laughed tugging him back into her nest.

'I'm sorry,' she laughed but she didn't sound it.

'You don't sound it,' he pointed out.

'Did I get the name wrong? Not romantic adventures? Adult wrestling?'

He tried to get up again and Rukia giggled into his chest as she tried to keep him pinned down.

'It's a good thing you're cute,' he huffed but there was no real bite to his words, he was just as amused as she was.

They settled back down and Toshiro picked the book back up and started to read. Rukia had always been a fan of the human classics and she adored this book.

'"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed."' Toshiro's voice was perfect for the words of Richard Adams. His low decibel portrayal of the characters helped to bring them to life.

It wasn't long after he started reading that she found herself falling into a deep and content sleep, knowing that he'd be there for her when she woke up.

Now and forever.

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**Massive thanks for all the reviews and readers! For those of you ****For those who don't know, Geishaaa and I are working on a massive HitsuRuki piece, it's currently about 190,000 words (and that's just my side of it). Her's is about the same, when it's done the entire piece will be over 400,000 words. We've been working on it for over a year and we're hoping to start publishing at the end of this year / start of next year, so please make sure you subscribe to us both on here so you're notified when it goes up :D**


	9. Epilogue

**Here is the epilogue guys :D I hope you enjoy it! A massive thanks once again to those of you who took the time to leave a comment for me! FafaCute, Always Keep the Faith and Allistera! **

* * *

Toshiro did his best not to fidget. It wouldn't look well in front of all these noblemen who seemed to have accepted him fully when Byakuya introduced him. They'd eyed him with scrutiny but couldn't seem to deny that his Captain uniform was appropriate attire, nor that his scars should be worn with pride for protecting the pillar of balance between the world of the living and the dead. Only one seemed to object, and Toshiro had to stifle a chuckle when he realised it was because he wished his own son to marry into the Kuchiki line.

Byakuya had turned his nose up at the request and claimed that there would be no better husband for Rukia than Captain Hitsugaya.

_Husband. _

That word still sent a thrill down his spine. It was more than excitement or nerves it was everything, she was his everything.

His lip twitched where he stood. She'd become his everything the moment she beat him in their first spar. Despite his pride, his own belief in his power and his mantra that he didn't need anyone by his side, she'd come and cut it all down with a swish of her zanpakuto.

Now here he stood, waiting for her, waiting for the beginning of the rest of their lives together.

The outside shrine had been beautifully decorated and spring had been the perfect time to host the ceremony. Large tree's lined the gardens, the grass a deep rich green and the sun casting a brilliant glow across all the fully repaired buildings. The cherry blossoms had only just begun to fall and the setting was entirely… _dare he think it?_ Romantic.

The nobles were chatting quietly amongst themselves, where Toshiro stood he could see beyond their ancient faces into the faces of the people he and Rukia cared for. Rangiku was beaming at him and waving, her familiar presence a source of normality and comfort. His lips twitched and peeled back into a blinding smile and his best friends answering smile was just as dazzling. Matsumoto looked stunning in a pink kimono that took her so long to accessorise that she was almost late. To her right sat Renji, tall and clearly complaining about the leg space to Ichigo who seemed to be having the same thoughts. As soon as the strawberry blond felt Toshiro's gaze he too, met his eyes and gave him a cheeky thumbs up.

Toshiro quirked a brow back at him, but the two had become a lot closer since Rukia had explained Ichigo's preference for the same gender rather than the opposite. It was only while having that thought that he noticed how close Ichigo seemed to be sitting to Renji and wondered if something was going on there.

Ichgio distracted the thought however by passing something to Rangiku and she tried to be discrete as she took a drink of whatever it was. Toshiro sighed but ultimately didn't send them any warning glares. They were his only family and he had to take them as they were. That title would soon be made official once the announcements were made at the end of the ceremony for the precious load that Rukia carried would have both Ichigo and Rangiku as her guardians.

When Toshiro had first learned that Rukia was expecting… he was terrified for her. Despite their years and years of peace they'd enjoyed together he couldn't ever seem to shake the same thought Byakuya had, that once people found out she was pregnant then they'd know what she was. She'd be in greater danger…

But then Toshiro realised, that there would be no person in the world better protected than Rukia Kuchiki, except perhaps the daughter she was carrying.

Hyorinmaru rumbled inside him in agreement and Toshiro put a steadying hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

With him as a father, Rukia as a mother, Byakuya as an overbearing uncle and of course Ichigo and Rangiku as god parents, no one would be suicidal enough to try anything.

They'd proven to this universe over and over again that when they all fought together, there was no team more powerful than all the souls gathered at that ceremony today.

The music started and Toshiro tensed. The crowd got to their feet and turned in the direction of the torii gate.

Byakuya came around the corner but Toshiro barely noticed him, his eyes only for the strong beautiful woman who clutched his arm. Rukia's white kimono was traditional and stunning and melted Toshiro's heart. Her violet eyes locked onto his and he couldn't stop the smile that broke out over his face.

All his weaknesses wrapped into one perfect person and he wouldn't have it any other way. After today it would be official, she'd have chosen to spend the rest of her existence with him and only him and that thought was enough to steal Toshiro's breath.

Only when Rukia was finally beside him, only when he took her soft fingers into his own hand did it feel real. She stepped gracefully up onto the step beside him, her fingers lacing with his and turned to face him.

'Have you told your brother?' he whispered to her, a smirk playing on his lips at their earlier conversation, something normal in amongst this unreal, 'is he going to make her sign an NDA?'

Rukia shook with laughter, her bright red lips pulling back to reveal her white teeth.

Byakuya seemed to be the last person to find out about the pregnancy, and Rukia had decided this day to be the best day to tell him. Toshiro would have rather told him together but Rukia was convinced that he'd hurt Toshiro for not waiting until after the wedding.

'He cried,' she whispered quickly back to him, but still Toshiro's eyes did not leave her face. He laughed softly at her words, but registered the acceptance behind them.

'So now you're stuck with me?' he asked as the priest stepped forward, ready to begin the ceremony.

Rukia's perfect lips twitched at the corner too, pulling into a breath taking smile, her eyes twinkling up at him, 'forever.'

'Forever,' he smiled.

And then the ceremony began.

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**I hope you've enjoyed this HitsuRuki fic guys! I know a few of you have and another massive thanks for coming on the journey with me. As I already said there's a massive HitsuRuki piece going to be coming out towards the end of this year. If you want to be notified of it please make sure you follow either myself and Geishaaa! **

**The fic will be a 2 POV fic similar to our 'Mind of an Ice Prince/Princess' and 'Counting Down Roses' and will be entitled 'Going for Gold'**

**We hope to see you then! **

**Also, Always Keep the Faith you mentioned liking the nudge to MatsumotoxGin ;) **

**Not giving anything away but... they may or may not play a role in Going for Gold ;) ;) ;)**

**Watch this space guys! Thanks again! **


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